Chapter 45
“Is that… a human? Or a monkey…?”
Twisting through the air like a performer in a high-wire act, Ha Dojin dodged the strike with flawless grace.
And then, using Drake’s own foreleg as a springboard, he launched straight forward in a single, razor-sharp line.
“……”
“Wow.”
“Holy shit.”
The sight was so sudden it left everyone speechless, mouths agape.
None of them had ever witnessed an attack like this in their entire lives. Not once.
And right then, Dojin’s dagger pierced straight through Drake’s temple.
The unique passive skill activated at full power.
The unique skill (Passive) activates with greater strength the more powerful it is.LT__/div__GT
Dealt 200% damage to the target.LT__/div__GT
Dragon’s Rage activated.LT__/div__GT
Dealt an additional 150% damage to the target.LT__/div__GT
Critical hit!LT__/div__GT
Every single option detonated at once.
But it wasn’t just about punching a hole through the temple to shred Drake’s brain.
*Crack!*
Dojin’s blade sliced clean through the top of Drake’s skull, sending a chunk of its head flying off in every direction.
He tumbled backward and rolled across the floor in a heap.
“H-He’s okay?!”
“Are you alright?!”
A few hunters rushed toward the fallen Dojin. But he rose to his feet, waving them off.
“I’m fine.”
He was just a little startled.
‘I thought I had to go all-out…’
But he never imagined Drake’s entire head would be blasted away like that.
Dojin stood up and stared at the massive creature whose head was missing a chunk. Even without breath attacks, its hide carried the raw stats of a dragon.
A creature like that…
“I’m losing my mind.”
The hand gripping his dagger refused to stop trembling.
And then…
*Boom!*
With the head gone, no living thing remained inside.
Drake staggered once and collapsed onto the ground.
[Drake’s Flame Zone has been cleared.]
A single message hung in the air.
The hunters present stared at it in a storm of emptiness and disbelief, faces twisted with emotions too complex to name.
Who could have imagined they’d clear Drake this fast?
‘Clear time… wasn’t it supposed to be around ten minutes?’
Even a normal boss couldn’t be finished off this quickly.
In the end, it wasn’t the operation that won… but Dojin himself.
Even Jeong Woo-hyun, who had been skeptical about the plan from the start, looked utterly stunned as he walked up to Dojin.
Dojin glanced at the broken shield in Woo-hyun’s hand and spoke calmly.
“Thanks for the hard work. Thanks to you, no one got hurt.”
“……”
“I honestly thought you wouldn’t be able to do it. But… I never imagined you actually would.”
Woo-hyun’s tone had completely changed.
Was this the wonder of seeing the impossible firsthand?
He couldn’t think of what to say next. His mind was completely blank.
But it wasn’t just Woo-hyun. Everyone present had seen it with their own eyes and still couldn’t believe it.
It was almost more believable if they were all asleep and dreaming.
And then…
*Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh…*
Dojin realized the massive escape gate that had formed only ten meters away was real.
Perhaps…
‘This… no, this is the kind of strength that would rank among the absolute top even across the entire world.’
‘In Korea, there’s probably no one who can match him.’
‘Maybe even stronger than the monster-level hunter Kang Seungho from Red Circle…?’
Every hunter was running their own evaluation in their heads.
But no matter how anyone looked at it, one fact was crystal clear.
“Everyone made it back alive.”
“We need to investigate Red Circle’s actions the moment we’re out of the dungeon. Whether they really woke up the hidden boss, and whether they tried to trigger the break…”
The healer hunter, Park Nam-hee, who had been helped up by another, spoke quietly after receiving treatment.
His entire body had been shattered from Drake’s attacks, and even with healing he still hadn’t fully recovered. Walking with a limp was the best he could manage.
Park Nam-hee looked at Dojin.
“I owe you my life. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. Thanks to you, we got the chance.”
Dojin answered modestly.
At those words, Nam-hee’s mouth curved into a tiny smile, but he said nothing more.
All he wanted right now was to get through this gate as fast as possible.
“Thank you.”
As everyone walked toward the gate, Hye-jin approached the lone Dojin.
“There are so many things I want to ask you.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be able to answer every single one.”
It was the same moment they met as it was when they parted ways before. If anything had changed, it was that he was incomparably stronger than before.
Hye-jin glanced at the glove on Dojin’s hand.
“It looks like you’re using it well.”
“Yeah, it’s been very useful.”
“That’s all I need.”
Hye-jin turned and walked toward the gate, glancing back at him.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go home.”
“…”
“Yes.”
Dojin nodded and followed her down the corridor.* * *
It had already been more than a month.
“What the hell is going on inside that dungeon…?”
About a week after the gate was supposed to break, Kang Seungho arrived at the Red Gate with every elite hunter of Red Circle.
According to the plan, the break should have happened exactly two weeks ago.
Monsters should have poured out the moment the dungeon break triggered. Countless deaths, massive casualties.
“Red Circle was supposed to step in and handle it…”
But why hadn’t the gate broken even after a full month?
It was the dungeon Hao Chen from the Yellow Dragon Guild had entered.
Errors like this were impossible.
‘There isn’t a single person inside who can beat Hao Chen.’
The only one who could even try to fight him was probably Park Nam-hee, the master of Black Snake Guild.
But even he would still be a full tier below Hao Chen.
So why was there no interference?
“…”
Kang Seungho, who rarely showed emotion, was now struggling to hide his frustration.
If only he had known it would turn out like this, he would have gone in himself.
He shook his head.
If a dungeon break had occurred inside the one he entered, his honor would be ruined.
So waiting outside and finishing it cleanly was his job.
Kang Seungho simply stood in silence, staring at the still-red gate while his trailer was packed with every piece of equipment he’d brought.
The gate still glowed an unnatural red.
Unbearable impatience kept welling up inside him.
But then…
“Eh?”
“Whoa?!”
“Uaaaaaaaah!”
The red gate suddenly turned blue.
The people around them were shocked and shouted in unison.
The gate.
“C-Cleared!”
“The Red Gate is cleared!”
It had actually cleared.
Kang Seungho stared at the gate with pure disbelief.
Not only had it not broken…
“It cleared…?”
This is bullshit.
Kang Seungho swallowed the curse that was about to burst out and clenched his fist until it shook.
What the hell had Hao Chen been doing in there?
Or had he somehow cleared a dungeon that was supposed to be impossible?
Amid the disbelief…
“They’re coming out!”
“Everyone move back! The hunters are coming!”
Hunters emerged from the now-blue gate.
The reporters surrounding them burst into flashes.
It was dusk, yet the light was so bright it felt like dawn.
And right then…
“Please step aside. These are hunters who have just finished clearing the dungeon. Head straight to the hospital to check their conditions first!”
Staff from every guild quickly cleared a path and escorted the hunters.
Firebird Guild also sent out a specialist support team led by Seong-hyeon to take care of Hye-jin and Dojin.
But that was when…
“Just a moment.”
Park Nam-hee, supported by another hunter because he was injured, forced power into his voice.
Every eye in the area locked onto him.
“When we cleared the Red Gate dungeon… there was a major issue inside.”
He swept his gaze around the crowd and continued.
There were definitely Red Circle members among them.
“Among the survivors who came out, there are no Red Circle hunters. There’s a reason for that. And once this is sorted out… I will formally lodge a formal complaint against Red Circle.”
He looked straight into the camera.
Of the three major guilds, only Black Snake Guild had its master directly involved.
So his voice carried the most weight.
“It has been revealed that Red Circle woke up a hidden boss inside the dungeon and triggered a break. After further investigation… if this is true…”
Nam-hee’s eyes turned ice-cold.
“Red Circle will have to take responsibility in some form.”
*Flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash flash!*
Before the words even finished, more flashes exploded.
Soon after, as Park Nam-hee moved, he glanced at Dojin.
As if he had said it all himself.
Reporters’ questions poured in right after, but the hunters from the dungeon quickly boarded their guild vehicles and left.
Rest was the most important thing above all else.
And Dojin was no different.
“I’m back.”
“Haha, you made it. You never fail to deliver on your promises.”
They returned straight to SW Technology and met Chairman Gu Jinmo.
This place was the safest and most comfortable of anywhere else.
“Uncle!”
Only five minutes after entering Chairman Gu Jinmo’s office, So-hee came running to Dojin and shouted.
Gyeong-taek was right beside her, so he must have brought her along.
“Uncle! Are you okay?”
So-hee looked worried at Dojin’s ragged clothes.
Dojin looked at her.
“You haven’t been bored, right?”
“Of course not. But Uncle… you seem a little different…”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. But So-hee, you stepped in at the perfect time.”
Chairman Gu Jinmo laughed loudly.
But…
“You’re tired today, so rest first. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Chairman.”
“There’s no rush. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Gu Jinmo glanced at Gyeong-taek, who then led Dojin to the guest quarters inside the building.
“Even though you sound so calm, Chairman has been worried sick for a whole month.”
All schedules had been pushed back so he could wait here for the moment the gate cleared.
Just to see Dojin’s face for a moment.
Dojin understood Chairman Gu’s feelings.
“I’m always grateful.”
Gyeong-taek smiled gently at the door.
“So rest well today. No other thoughts. Then…”
As soon as Gyeong-taek closed the door, Dojin let out a small breath and shuffled toward the bed.
Thinking about it…
‘When was the last time I rested?’
He couldn’t remember exactly. He hadn’t slept deeply since waking up.
*Thud.*
At that moment, Dojin emptied his mind and slipped into sleep.
While Dojin was lost in sweet, deep slumber, something huge was happening at Red Circle Guild.