Chapter 31
**CHAPTER 31: THE GATE THAT SWALLOWED A NATION**
In the dungeon management bureau of the Hunter Association in the southern region.
The sudden, unbelievable news sent Dungeon Management Bureau Chief Yoo Tae-kwon’s anger boiling to the point of exploding.
“Chief.”
“How is it impossible to measure?”
“Here…….”
The employee hurriedly zoomed the map of the location where mana reactions were occurring.
Yongin.
On the screen, a single red spot blinked rapidly.
Tae-kwon asked.
“How high is the mana reaction right now?”
“It rose to 90,000 MAH before, and now measurements aren’t even possible.”
“……Insane.”
Normally, a dungeon classified as upper-grade had a mana value around 30,000 MAH.
Twice that was already a serious situation, yet here it was three times. And now it was rising without any measurement at all.
“What’s the estimated value?”
“Roughly 130,000 MAH.”
“……I’m done for.”
Tae-kwon’s expression hardened.
In the past two or three years, no dungeon had ever reached 130,000 MAH.
Looking for a similar case.
“The most recent one was four years ago in Ayutthaya, Thailand, with a 125,000 MAH mana reaction. It was created.”
“……In the end, it blew up.”
The result? Ayutthaya had vanished from the map entirely.
And so had the history of the world-class cultural heritage temples and ruins.
It had only been suppressed with help from neighboring countries in Northeast Asia.
And now a dungeon of comparable power had appeared again?
“Contact every hunter guild. This isn’t something we fight over each other like in dungeon breaks. We have to work together.”
If a dungeon break even started, Yongin was already gone.
“First, seal the leaks. If it spreads to the press, it’ll only cause panic. And contact each guild and related hunter company immediately to prepare countermeasures.”
“Understood!”
With that, the employee replied urgently and dashed off somewhere.
Tae-kwon stared at the blinking red dot on the screen, grinding his teeth.
* * *
“……What is this……?”
It was obvious the item was extraordinary.
Han Soo took the long object Dojin handed him and asked.
Dojin replied.
“Can you make one sword with this?”
“With this?”
“Yes. I don’t mind if you add SW Technology’s technology…… or even make it a pure creation.”
By now, the dungeon in Yongin should have started appearing.
A crazily powerful dungeon with over 100,000 MAH mana reactions.
The Hunter Association had tried to keep the news secret until the last moment, but the dungeon break had come faster than scheduled, leaving no choice but to reveal everything.
‘Thanks to that, an incredible number of people died.’
If they had evacuated earlier, there wouldn’t have been civilian casualties.
But because of their sloppy response and Red Circle’s greed, countless lives had been lost.
That was why he had to stop it now.
Arcal’s fangs were made for that exact purpose.
‘Arcal’s fangs possess…… authority.’
It would deal additional damage to dragonkin.
The dragon Arcal.
He was one of the highest ranks among dragonkin.
Weapons forged from his fangs could resist dragonkin auras just by existing, and they dealt fatal additional damage to dragonkin far beyond any other weapon.
In his previous life, the Yongin dungeon break had completely shattered Dojin’s life.
That was why he had to prevent this.
“……How long will it take to make?”
“I’m sorry, but time is short. About three weeks starting now.”
“Three weeks…… three weeks…….”
Normally, that would be more than enough time even to craft a weapon.
But the material he was seeing for the first time, and the expression on Dojin’s face, made it clear this wasn’t just a simple request for a weapon.
“It’s for something important, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s very important.”
“……I’ll do it.”
No, he had to.
“I’ll do my absolute best.”
Looking at Han Soo’s resolute face, Dojin bowed politely.
* * *
Gugugugugugugugugung!
At the midpoint of Bohyeonsan Mountain in Yongin.
The hiking trail was empty, so no hikers passed this way.
Unusually many people had gathered here.
“……A Red Gate.”
Red Gates hadn’t appeared for the first time.
They had been created several times before, though with lower mana readings.
Normally, a dungeon entered would have clear clearing conditions stated immediately.
Kill X monsters, or defeat the boss.
And the dungeon’s size was small.
At most, about the size of a university campus.
But a Red Gate was different in every way.
No clear clearing conditions, and the space inside was vast like another world.
Anyone who got lost or couldn’t clear it might never be able to leave.
“What’s the mana reaction?”
“137,500 MAH.”
“It’s not far off from the estimate.”
That was why it was even more depressing.
Over 130,000 MAH was the first such dungeon in Korea.
An unprecedented absolute crisis, yet the hunters’ level had risen enough compared to before that they might still clear it.
“Which guild contacted us?”
“They’re all hesitant. No clear information has been released about the dungeon yet.”
“That’s understandable.”
Tae-kwon nodded in agreement.
Without accurate mana readings or knowledge of the monsters inside, no one would willingly step forward.
Tae-kwon said.
“We still have time. Gather information about the dungeon as quickly as possible. And let me emphasize again: this must never leak to civilians. If it reaches journalists, control it tightly.”
“I will remember.”
“Yes, Chief.”
The dungeon management bureau employees in the room nodded with stiff expressions.
Although it was dangerous, they thought spreading it through the media and causing chaos would be worse.
Moreover, even though the mana value was high.
‘They can clear it.’
As long as no impossible variables appeared.
Tae-kwon simply closed his lips and exhaled deeply through his nose.
* * *
“……Brother, are you okay?”
Seong-hyun glanced at Dojin sitting in the passenger seat.
He had started worrying the moment Dojin got into the car, reclined the seat, and closed his eyes.
But…….
“Where are we going now?”
“Ansan.”
“Six, right?”
“Yes, but are you really okay?”
Concern was clear in Seong-hyun’s voice.
He had no choice.
Dojin’s current schedule was insanely twisted.
He had been hunting between upper- and middle-grade dungeons, five to nine per day.
But the problem was his abnormal use of the dungeons’ characteristics.
Normally, after a dungeon cleared, a specialized extraction team would enter for a week to gather minerals and spoils.
If a week passed without clearing, something strange would happen.
The monsters inside would respawn.
And each time they respawned, the monsters got slightly stronger.
Dojin had been hunting five to nine dungeons in one region for a day, then dividing into seven regions and repeating.
It was a ridiculous routine.
“If you keep going like this, your body won’t last. Fifty-plus dungeons in a week.”
“Yoo Seong-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“Rest a little during the drive.”
“……I’m sorry.”
Seong-hyun’s mouth tightened.
An impossible iron-blooded schedule.
He didn’t know why Dojin was pushing himself so hard to level up.
‘……He’s going to die, brother.’
If he died, level didn’t matter—everything would be over.
It meant nothing.
No injuries yet, but he couldn’t guarantee this luck would last forever.
Seong-hyun slowed the car heading toward their destination.
Even just the driving time, he wanted Dojin to rest as long as possible.
Dojin knew Seong-hyun’s feelings and didn’t rush.
Once they reached the area, all the dungeons there would be covered anyway.
‘Just a little longer…….’
Since returning, he hadn’t thought about it for a single day.
How could he forget?
The memory of that day, the nightmare.
The day his life had plunged into the abyss.
He could never accept it happening twice.
Whoosh!
Inside the speeding car.
Dojin forced his mind calm and took the best rest he could.
* * *
“No problems with preparation?”
“Yes, no need to worry.”
It was an important project.
When Kang Seungho asked, Choi Jang-hoon, leader of Red Circle’s best attack squad, nodded.
Two meters tall.
A massive frame and muscles like a bodybuilder.
Jang-hoon, whose mere presence overwhelmed people, was one of the few 200-level hunters in Red Circle.
Even at 201 levels, crossing 200 was a huge symbolic achievement.
Seungho nodded.
“Any news from that side?”
“They’re entering Korea in two days. After the gate activates, they have to move, so they need justification.”
“Plenty of time left. No problem.”
Seungho looked at the photo of Yoo Tae-kwon on the screen.
The overall responsible party for this Red Gate.
Depending on how the dungeon ended, the man’s lifeline hung on the line.
He was probably panicking like a man with his back against the wall despite his calm facade.
“Probably won’t enter as a single team. At least three guilds will be involved.”
He had to keep that in mind.
Never let them become a problem.
Seungho said.
“I’ll contact Yoo Tae-kwon. As soon as people cross from China, we’ll move. Be ready. If you need anything, the support team will handle it.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll finish it cleanly…… But the real problem is something else.”
Yes, the real problem was something else.
In the end, Red Circle wanted not the dungeon cleared, but the dungeon exploded.
“Massive chaos will break out.”
And within that chaos, Red Circle would be the hero.
The world’s savior.
People loved and followed heroes, after all.
Even with all the recent noise, one project would put Red Circle at the pinnacle of South Korea.
Seungho’s mouth twitched in satisfaction.
Then.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
Jang-hoon answered, and Seungho turned and walked somewhere.