Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Isolation - 1
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Ssssh.
A gate began to form inside the training dungeon.
[The dungeon is changing.]
[The dungeon's entrance is closing.]
The effect rippled out, transforming the dungeon itself.
Just like a closed dungeon, the entrance started sealing shut.
"Get out quick! Hurry!"
"Support anyone who can't walk properly and get them out!"
"Grit your teeth and run for the exit!"
The instructors led the exhausted hunters toward the dungeon's exit.
According to standard protocol, they should have dealt with the gate first.
But the hunters were thoroughly worn out from mana blade training.
Trying to handle a gate in this state would just rack up casualties.
"Huff... pant..."
"Hah... I... I can't run anymore..."
If they had been at full strength, it would've taken less than three minutes to evacuate.
The timing couldn't have been worse.
They'd just finished a thorough sweep, and now a gate pops up in a respawn dungeon of all places.
"Relax your body! I'll throw you out—just roll properly when you land!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Trust me and go limp! This is our best shot right now!"
"Got it!"
Kim Min-jun reacted faster than any of the instructors.
He focused on the hunters too exhausted to run properly, hurling them toward the dungeon entrance one by one.
Of course, even with high strength stats, it wasn't something just anyone could pull off.
Chuck them too carelessly, and you'd risk injuring the hunters.
'Two minutes until the entrance seals completely.'
He picked up the pace, but with an entire company inside the dungeon, evacuating everyone was a tall order.
"Hey! Son Eun-seo! You're good to go—get out!"
"Corporal Son Eun-seo! I'm fine! If I leave now, the rest of the company gets cut off!"
Son Eun-seo, one of the few still in decent shape, was helping the instructors support the others.
She wasn't listening to orders to evacuate.
"Get out before it closes! You hear me?"
"Yes, sir!"
He gave her a quick warning and turned his attention elsewhere.
It was chaos.
Even using Dark Grasp to send other company members out showed good instincts.
'Damn. If I were a priest or mage, this would be a breeze.'
As a black magician with almost no protective or mobility skills, brute force was his only option.
"Alright! Instructors! Get out quick!"
Thanks to Kim Min-jun and the instructors' swift response, most of the company made it out.
The entrance was over 70% sealed now.
At this point, they'd have to dive for it to squeeze through.
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun! What are you waiting for?!"
"Too far! I'll handle the gate and catch up!"
Kim Min-jun could've escaped ages ago but chose to stay.
'That's mine.'
A gate spawning inside the dungeon.
Dealing with it and the resulting dungeon changes.
Clear those, and his performance score would double.
"Sergeeeant Kim Min-juuuun!"
"Think about your own safety! You can't keep babying the troops forever!"
"You're done if you die! Done!"
The instructors shouted from outside.
Grateful for their concern, he pulled a tragic, movie-hero face—like the protagonist dooming himself for the greater good.
"I'm good."
"Hang on! Just survive! Don't fight!"
"We'll breach the entrance somehow—just hold out!"
It worked a little too well; a few instructors were tearing up.
Did he have acting chops?
Boom!
Something thudded into place, sealing the entrance completely.
"Perfect. Nailed it. Now I just smash everything in here and—huh?"
He sensed a presence nearby.
In the chaos, he'd only just noticed.
Had a hunter gotten left behind?
"Hey. What are you doing here?"
Son Eun-seo was sitting where the presence came from.
She'd said she'd make it out, but ended up trapped.
"...One of the rookies twisted their ankle bad at the last second. Helped them out, and this happened."
Seeing her sheepish grin made him chuckle despite himself.
Who could blame her in a mess like this?
"Still, getting everyone but two out in that short time? Huge win."
For a sudden crisis, their response time was stellar.
Mostly because he'd been yeeting hunters left and right, though.
"You're way too chill. A gate in a dungeon? Not scared?"
"I'll smash it all."
"Sigh... Should've known better than to ask you. You know what it means when a gate spawns inside a dungeon, right?"
She narrowed her eyes at his casual reply.
"Of course."
Gates usually appeared outside dungeons.
They could happen inside, but it was rare.
And that rare case was happening now.
"Gates inside dungeons don't spit out monsters right away like the ones outside. The dungeon changes first."
Far off in the distance.
The gate, tiny as a speck, writhed like a living thing.
To close it, you had to clear out whatever was inside completely.
Until it started spawning, there wasn't much to do.
"And this is a respawn dungeon. Worst-case scenario."
About ten minutes since they took down the Iron Golem.
Twenty more, and it'd respawn.
Over and over, until the gate was handled.
"Beat on the Iron Golems, smack whatever comes out of the gate. Easy."
"As if. How long you gonna keep that up? Even you have to get tired eventually."
"Hmm. A month of that, and yeah, even I'd be wiped."
Son Eun-seo let out a deep sigh.
Felt like talking to a kid.
How was he so relaxed in what was basically a death sentence?
"We gotta conserve energy and stay low until the golems respawn. Minimize presence."
"I know, man. Just messing around."
Kim Min-jun smirked and crouched, offering his back.
A clear "hop on" gesture.
"I know you're beat. Climb on. Dungeon's still shifting—we need to fall back and observe."
"...Fine."
Son Eun-seo nodded meekly and climbed on.
She'd been joking around a second ago, but she read the situation perfectly.
'Who the hell is this guy?'
Seemed like a brute on the surface, but he anticipated everything and acted optimally.
Backing away from the gate first was a prime example.
Watching and waiting over charging in.
Veteran instincts you wouldn't expect from a first-year hunter.
'Can't read him at all.'
Inside the shifting dungeon.
The two searched for a safe spot.
**
-What? A gate in the training dungeon? Son of a bitch! First day of training... Headcount first! Now!
Meanwhile.
Outside was pandemonium.
A dungeon cleared safe after a full year of checks, and now this.
"Sir! Headcount complete for 1st and 2nd Battalions!"
"Most troops exhausted, but no injuries!"
"Sergeant Kim Min-jun from 2nd Battalion is still inside!"
Company and platoon leaders were frantically radioing reports.
-Sergeant Kim Min-jun's inside? Damn it. Get mana bombs ready! Call in the demo experts! Hurry!
Before the battalion commander's angry voice cut off, the 4th Battalion 4th Company's platoon leader reported in a trembling voice.
"S-Sir... Corporal Son Eun-seo is missing too! Looks like she's trapped inside with Sergeant Kim Min-jun."
-What? Corporal Son Eun-seo too? Damn... This is insane.
In that situation, evacuating the entire company was near impossible.
They'd expected one or two stragglers... but of all people, Corporal Son Eun-seo.
The 107th Division commander's daughter.
-I'll handle the mana bombs with the division commander myself. Get the troops back to barracks!
"Y-Yes, sir! Right away!"
The battalion commander didn't even have time to yell—he cut the radio.
Truth was, in that scenario, no one had screwed up.
The instructors handled it professionally and controlled the troops well.
But it was what it was.
And in a military outfit, shit like this meant heads would roll.
"Argh... fuck. What kind of bullshit is this? A gate inside the dungeon? Out of all days, today?"
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min clicked his tongue at the sealed entrance.
It had been thoroughly vetted and deemed safe for training.
Gates, though? No predicting them with current tech.
"Gates inside dungeons are rare... Sigh. What a headache."
And it was a respawn dungeon.
Monsters kept coming back endlessly.
Fight golems while handling gate spawns.
A nightmare scenario for any hunter.
"Even Min-jun might struggle with that... Just hold out without fighting, please."
**
Kim Min-jun set up camp about two kilometers from the gate spawn.
Confirming monsters couldn't detect them, he set Son Eun-seo down.
"Here. Sip water sparingly, eat this combat ration. Got just the one."
"I'm fine."
"You'd last a day max in that shape."
"And you?"
"I could go a month without eating."
"What? You even human? Monster."
Grumbling, she took the water and ration anyway.
Her stamina was over 50% gone already.
Better to refuel if she didn't want to be dead weight.
"You're too nice to people. Same during hunter mobility drills, now this. Think about yourself for once."
"What? That's rich coming from you, trapped with me."
"I know I'll get us out."
Who was advising whom?
She wanted to say it, but Kim Min-jun's confidence was backed by results.
He'd proven it by evacuating most of the company himself.
"If it was anyone else in here, I'd be worried. But you? I figure we'll live."
"Obviously. Nah, this is perfect. Clear the gate, rescue the division commander's daughter? Bonus points galore."
"You're saying that to my face? Unbelievable."
Son Eun-seo cracked a faint smile.
With him so laid-back, it almost didn't feel like they were trapped.
"I'll handle the respawns. If you can't hold out, eat this."
He handed her a soulstone.
With her stamina and that, they could last three days easy.
"Hey! Wait! What's this? Hey!"
Before Son Eun-seo could respond, he was already gone.
"Why's he so hyped?"