Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Party's Over
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◈ Chapter 106
*Clink-!*
“Ahh… that’s the stuff! What, is it empty already?”
Jeong Hoon-hyeon said, looking at the pile of empty bottles.
After a long day of playing in the water, the Guardian Guild members were having dinner at the barbecue area in the pension’s backyard.
“Here you go.”
Do-jae pulled a cold soju bottle from his Subspace and filled Jeong Hoon-hyeon’s glass.
Everyone was used to Do-jae’s Subspace by now, so no one said a word.
“No, no. It’s time to bring it out.”
Jeong Hoon-hyeon downed his glass in one go and went inside the building.
A moment later, he returned with an 80-centimeter-tall bottle of infused liquor in his hands.
“Where’s the ladle?”
Park Kyung-min brought a new ladle.
He was the first to hold his glass out to Jeong Hoon-hyeon.
“Look at this guy. There’s a pecking order, you know. Vice Master! Have a glass.”
Jeong Hoon-hyeon pushed Park Kyung-min’s glass aside and used the ladle to pour a full glass of ginseng liquor for Do-jae.
“This is the good stuff. Drink up, drink up.”
*Gulp—.*
As Do-jae heartily downed it in one gulp, Jeong Hoon-hyeon wore a satisfied expression.
He immediately poured another glass for him before filling the other guild members’ glasses in turn.
“Ahem, ahem. Ahem! Now that the mood is right, this old man has something to say!”
Jeong Hoon-hyeon cleared his throat and stood up.
Then he raised his glass high.
The guild members followed his lead, raising their own glasses.
“Next week, we’ll be working in a bigger, better office! And it’s all thanks to you. Thank you. I hope you’ll all continue to work hard. When I shout, ‘From today, we are unstoppable,’ you will shout back, ‘Ogre!’ Got it?”
Everyone chuckled at Jeong Hoon-hyeon’s rather serious demeanor.
Still, no one objected.
“Alright, from today, we are unstoppable!”
“Ogre!”
With Jeong Hoon-hyeon’s toast, the drinking party grew even livelier.
Since they were all capable hunters, the bottles piled up at a frightening pace. The first to fall was Gong So-eun.
“I’m going to put So-eun to bed. Don’t you dare drink all the ginseng liquor while I’m gone!”
Ji-yoon carried Gong So-eun on her back into the building, and with only the men left, Jeong Hoon-hyeon began his string of raunchy and vulgar jokes.
Jeong Hoon-hyeon was quite talented in that department, and he especially hit it off with Park Kyung-min.
Do-jae, thinking this atmosphere wasn’t too bad, ceaselessly poured alcohol into his mouth.
Just then, Young-jin held out his glass and nudged him.
“Biiig brooo. How come you’re not getting druuunk?”
Young-jin asked, his words slightly slurred.
Do-jae filled his empty glass and replied.
“I’m controlling it.”
“Whaaat? Then why even drink? You drink to get druuunk. You promised meee…”
Young-jin whined, clinging to Do-jae’s arm.
In truth, it wasn’t so much that Do-jae was controlling it, but that he couldn’t help but not get drunk.
Even without the Golem Armor, a certain level of resistance was always active.
His 80% resistance to poison also applied to alcohol, which was why despite drinking so much, he was only just beginning to feel a slight buzz.
“You’re right. Alright. A day of getting completely wasted doesn’t sound too bad.”
It wasn't as if there was no way around it.
The resistance was ultimately due to the mana flowing through his body.
If he intentionally stopped the flow of mana, he would be just like any ordinary person.
*Glug, glug, glug—.*
Young-jin, grinning foolishly, poured some whiskey from a bottle on the side into a new glass.
It was a very high-proof liquor.
“Hehehe, here you go.”
The glass was filled to the brim.
Do-jae hesitated for a moment, then shot Young-jin a glare before downing it.
“Woooow. Our big bro can really driiiink!”
“Yeah! Our Vice Master is a true man among men!”
The liquor was strong enough to make his temples throb.
His throat burned as if it were on fire, and the buzz hit him instantly, but it wasn’t an unpleasant experience.
“Another one.”
Having cleanly emptied his glass, Do-jae held it out to Young-jin.
He then clinked glasses with Ji-yoon, who had returned at some point, and gradually became more intoxicated.
More time passed. Park Kyung-min and Ha Tae-sung had collapsed, and even Ji-yoon was staggering.
*Thud-!*
“Hey? Biiig brooo, are you done already? Aren’t you a little too weeeak?”
“Vice Master, let’s have just one more.”
Do-jae suddenly shot up from his seat.
He turned his head and stared at something in the distance.
For a while, he just stared with wide eyes, not responding.
“Big bro?”
“Vice Master, what’s wrong?”
Young-jin and Jeong Hoon-hyeon were bewildered.
Do-jae muttered in a low voice.
“Gellahan…”
Young-jin and Jeong Hoon-hyeon tilted their heads, leaning in to hear what Do-jae had said.
But just then.
*Fwoosh-!*
An immense amount of steam erupted from Do-jae’s body.
“Cough, cough.”
“Ugh.”
The steam filled the area like a sauna.
Choking on the overwhelming stench of alcohol within it, Young-jin and Jeong Hoon-hyeon coughed relentlessly.
“Refresh.”
Do-jae used a spell on Young-jin and Jeong Hoon-hyeon.
A white light shot from his fingertips and swirled around their heads.
Soon, they sobered up and stood with steady posture.
“Both of you, circulate your mana. You’re not completely sober yet. And don’t go anywhere. Wait here.”
*Swoosh-!*
With those words, Do-jae vanished, running into the mountains in an instant.
He must have been in a great hurry, disappearing in his slippers and casual clothes.
Now completely sober, Young-jin and Jeong Hoon-hyeon looked at each other, puzzled.
“What just happened?”
“I don’t know… Seeing him like that, it must be something serious…”
“Let’s go get our weapons, just in case.”
“Yes!”
***
Having fully released his blocked mana, Do-jae ran with not a trace of alcohol left in his system.
‘Why am I sensing Gellahan’s energy?’
Do-jae was able to notice it because of a keen sense he had possessed for a long time.
A throbbing sensation in his temples.
If not for this feeling, he would have never detected Gellahan’s presence.
‘It’s not a dungeon… and all the Transcendence Stone users are in Hwacheon. Could it be a dungeon break?’
If so, this was a major problem.
With a densely populated residential area not far away, it could lead to a large-scale disaster.
Moreover, the number of monsters he could sense was unusual.
It certainly didn't seem like a small-scale dungeon break.
Do-jae picked up his pace, running at full speed in the direction of the energy.
At that moment, the situation room of the Taebaek Guild was in a state of chaos.
“Urgent request from the Busan Regional Hunter Administration! Taebaek is to dispatch hunters for support immediately!”
The situation chief relayed the message to the hunters on standby.
As the representative guild of the Yeongnam region and the third-largest guild in the country, Taebaek had hundreds of affiliated hunters, with many always remaining at the guild.
Therefore, they had the capability to respond swiftly to such emergencies.
“What’s goin’ on?”
Just then, a man in a suit that looked ready to burst at the seams entered the situation room.
It was Gwak Ji-hyeok, the Guild Master of Taebaek.
“Sir!”
“Report.”
“Yes, sir! A dungeon break has occurred 4km away in the 00 direction of the 00 area. The response level is 3. We’ve received a request for immediate deployment of all available hunters.”
The situation chief reported, looking at a map displayed on a massive monitor.
Gwak Ji-hyeok stroked his bushy beard, then buttoned up his unbuttoned dress shirt.
“A level 3 means nearby guilds and the Suppression Corps will be swarming the place. Alright. I’ll go myself.”
“What? You’re going personally, sir?”
“Of course. You want me to call back the guys who went home? It’s Friday. I’ll go check it out myself and contact you depending on the situation.”
“Sir…”
The situation chief was moved by Gwak Ji-hyeok’s initiative.
He immediately sent a standby message to the guild’s hunters and relayed the news to the Busan Regional Hunter Administration.
A voice of relief came from the other side.
—As expected of the Hero of Busan! We are always grateful for Taebaek’s hard work.
Gwak Ji-hyeok unfolded the heels of his loafers, slipped his feet in, and stood before the first-floor elevator.
A moment later, the elevator doors opened, and a number of hunters poured out.
“Sir? Are you heading out as well?”
One of the hunters, who gave a slight bow before rushing out, stayed behind to ask.
He was a B-rank hunter on duty, currently the highest-ranking hunter remaining in the guild.
“You bet. Someone’s gotta go, right?”
“Understood! We’ll get there as fast as we can!”
Feeling reassured by Gwak Ji-hyeok’s smile, the hunter quickly followed after the others.
Hunter Ranking #5, S-rank hunter Gwak Ji-hyeok.
He was Taebaek’s strongest man and its spiritual pillar; his mere presence was enough to boost the morale of the guild members.
*Beep—.*
Gwak Ji-hyeok boarded the elevator and pressed the button for the 35th floor, the building’s highest.
While all the other hunters were heading for the main entrance on the first floor, why was he going to the roof?
It was because a higher place was far more advantageous for his method of travel.
*Whoosh-!*
Arriving at the top floor, Gwak Ji-hyeok headed for the rooftop.
He then climbed onto the railing.
A gate meant for just one person was built into the waist-high stainless steel fence. Opening it revealed a long platform, much like a diving board.
“Let’s see now, they said it was over there, right?”
Gwak Ji-hyeok stepped onto the platform.
And leaped straight toward the ground.
*Swoooosh-!*
Gwak Ji-hyeok plummeted toward the ground, the wind roaring past him.
He had fallen halfway down the building in an instant when…
*Fwoooosh-!*
A fierce gale suddenly erupted, pushing Gwak Ji-hyeok forward.
This was why he hadn't launched from the ground.
Such a massive gust of wind could have caused damage to the surroundings.
“I don’t know what kinda cocky monster you are, but you just wait. I’m on my way!”
Gwak Ji-hyeok summoned an even stronger wind behind him and flew at incredible speed toward the site of the dungeon break.
Back to Do-jae, who had just arrived at the scene.
‘This is…’
The neighborhood had been turned into a desolate ruin.
The ground was overturned as if it had been carpet-bombed, and collapsed buildings and houses were visible everywhere.
A 4km radius around the epicenter of the dungeon break had been laid to waste.
‘The damage is too great…’
The scene was one of utter chaos, making it impossible to even imagine how many people might have died.
Even though it was an area of small, outlying neighborhoods, the damage was catastrophic.
*Vwooom—.*
*Clank— Clank—.*
Do-jae immediately summoned all his golems.
Not only that, but he also turned all the spare low-grade mana stones he had into golems.
“Find the survivors first!”
*Clank-!*
The two hundred or so golems scattered in all directions.
The hundred hastily created golems couldn’t be expected to perform well in a real fight, but they would have no problem rescuing people.
Do-jae immediately took out the Black Scale.
A dungeon break of this magnitude would surely draw personnel from the Association, the Hunter Administration, and the Suppression Corps.
Before they arrived, he had to kill as many monsters as possible to minimize the damage.
Do-jae used the Nerves of the Golem to levitate the surrounding rocks and sent them flying into the air.
*Shhhk-!*
*Thwack-!*
“Kieeeek!”