Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Second Pit
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Gwak Ji-hyeok gazed down into a deep pit of unknowable depth.
The pit was large enough to fit five 45-passenger buses side-by-side, and from within it echoed the cries of various monsters.
‘So the fella from the rumors is down in there, eh?’
The man named Lee Do-jae had arrived before him and hunted the monsters in the area.
And he’d only picked off the strong ones, Grade 3 and higher.
‘Sneaky bastard, ain't he? Goin' in all by himself.’
Gwak Ji-hyeok was certain the man was inside the pit.
He had been in the middle of hunting monsters with Park Kang-ju, the Guild Master of Dawn, when he saw the golems all head toward one location.
"Sir, are you really going in?"
"What, you scared?"
"Of course not! Not with you by our side."
"Hahaha. Hunter Administration, Suppression Corps, who gives a damn? If that prickly little lady gave the okay, then Jeong In-gon must've approved it too."
"Alright, let's go!"
Gwak Ji-hyeok leaped, and the members of the Taebaek Guild dropped into the pit after him.
*Swoosh-!*
A deep pit, nearly 50 meters down.
Some clung to the pit's walls as they descended, while others kicked off the sides and jumped.
Gwak Ji-hyeok used flight magic to land gracefully on the bottom.
"This is..."
Inside the pit, a path stretched out like a dungeon, strewn with the corpses of dozens of monsters.
Traces of a sword.
Traces of magic.
Of course, if he put his mind to it, he could send dozens of these low-grade monsters to their graves in a single blow.
No, even a few hundred of them could be wiped from the face of the earth.
But using large-scale magic in this narrow passage would get him caught in the blast. The man who'd passed through here must have known that, as nearly all the traces were from small-scale magic and sword cuts.
The man was skilled in both magic and swordsmanship.
"Chief Choi and Manager Shin, you're with me! The rest of you, follow at a slower pace!"
- Yes, sir!
Gwak Ji-hyeok started running through the pit.
A little farther in, live low-grade monsters appeared, but he ignored them all and kept running.
Just like that man had.
"Sir! There's another pit over here!"
Manager Shin shouted from a distance.
Gwak Ji-hyeok and Chief Choi ran toward Manager Shin and, just as he'd said, found another large pit not far from the entrance.
"There's another one of these?"
A pit of similar width to the one they'd entered.
The only difference was a small light visible far below.
But just then, something rose from within the pit.
"Kiiiiing!"
Three Pegasi, flapping their massive wings as they ascended.
However, these were vicious and powerful Grade 6 monsters that only resembled the sacred animal from Greek mythology.
"Kiiing!"
A Pegasus with flashing red eyes charged toward Gwak Ji-hyeok.
Getting hit by that would be like colliding with a large truck.
But this was Gwak Ji-hyeok.
An S-rank Mage Hunter, he cast a magic skill with a speed no one could possibly imagine.
"Ice Arrow!"
Ten ice arrows materialized in the blink of an eye and shot toward the Pegasus, punching ten large holes through its white body and wings.
"Kiiii..."
No longer able to flap its wings properly, the Pegasus plummeted back into the pit.
Chief Choi and Manager Shin also took down their Pegasi without much trouble, proving their B-rank status.
"It seems there are stronger monsters below."
"If the monsters get stronger the deeper ya go... then what kinda monster is waitin' at the very bottom?"
Gwak Ji-hyeok peered down from the edge of the pit.
He felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Shall we go in?"
"Of course. That fella went down, so there's no way I'm not goin' down too."
Gwak Ji-hyeok clenched his fists and once again dropped into the pit.
***
- The death toll from the dungeon break in Busan has surpassed 900. Of the 1,182 injured, 312 are in critical condition, and the number of fatalities continues to rise...
*Click-.*
"Hoo..."
Jeong In-gon let out a deep sigh.
The unprecedented damage from the dungeon break, the worst since the Great Cataclysm, had thrown South Korea into turmoil.
The media was frantically reporting on the situation in Busan, and at one point in the morning, some communication networks had even gone down.
"The situation is not good..."
This was what a dungeon break was like.
People within the blast radius died with no chance to react, and even those outside the immediate area often suffered serious injuries from the aftershocks.
Was that all?
Even those who survived relatively unscathed were likely to face a massacre at the hands of the countless monsters pouring out.
Once a dungeon break occurred, it caused immense damage.
That was why so many people worked tirelessly to monitor dungeons, but perfection was impossible for humans.
*Knock, knock-.*
Secretary-General Go Yong-beom entered the Association President's office and stood before Jeong In-gon.
"Reporting, sir. The Hunter Administration has raised the response level to the final stage, 5. A large horde of monsters is moving south of the blockade line established by the Suppression Corps, leading to intense fighting. They also report detecting the mana of a Grade 1 monster."
"A Grade 1..."
Jeong In-gon grimaced.
Detecting the mana of a Grade 1 monster meant the dungeon break would not be resolved easily.
"We've relayed the situation to each guild and requested support. Great Tiger and Yujin have agreed to dispatch Hunters immediately, and we are receiving responses from other guilds in turn."
"Who is Great Tiger sending?"
"Kim Se-hoon."
"So, with Gwak Ji-hyeok and Kim Se-hoon... that makes three in total?"
Go Yong-beom was not yet aware, but there was a matter Jeong In-gon had already instructed Director Song Eun-young about.
"Sir? There are only two S-ranks..."
"No. You'll hear about it from Director Song later. If Kim Se-hoon is joining them, we can breathe a little easier."
Jeong In-gon could finally feel a bit of relief.
If Kim Se-hoon, the Vice Guild Master of Great Tiger and an S-rank Hunter, led his guild members, they would be a tremendous asset.
Especially with three S-rank Hunters.
A combination that had nothing to fear, even from a Grade 1 monster.
"The Association is to spare no expense in supporting the dispatched guilds. Relay orders to produce promotional materials immediately, and instruct the staff out in the dungeons to ensure the Hunters' safety. At times like this, the Association must step up as much as possible."
"Understood. Well then..."
Go Yong-beom left the office.
Jeong In-gon picked up the receiver, about to make a call somewhere.
But he had to put it down when someone burst violently through the door.
*Slam-.*
"Dad!"
A beautiful woman stepped into the Association President's office.
Jeong In-gon's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her.
"Eun-hee, what are you doing here... More importantly, what are you wearing!"
Eun-hee was dressed in long boots that came up below her knees, tight-fitting leather pants, and a thick leather coat.
Not only that, but a scabbard hung at her waist—a beautiful one adorned with traditional Korean patterns.
"I'm going too."
"Going where? No, if you mean Busan, absolutely not!"
"Dad! Are you saying that because you don't know what the situation is like over there?"
"I do know. And that's exactly why you can't go!"
*Thwack-!*
Jeong In-gon slammed the pen in his hand onto the desk.
Eun-hee, however, did not back down.
"Why not? I'm a Hunter too. Please let me go, Dad!"
"What is a girl who can't stand the sight of blood going to do there? Go back."
"That's not true! I can handle it. I'll go and help."
"Go back and do your job properly! Do you think that's the only place with monsters? Just this morning, forty dungeons appeared in Seoul."
"There are other people to handle that, even without me..."
"Jeong Eun-hee!"
Jeong In-gon shot to his feet.
Eun-hee flinched slightly at his fierce glare.
Jeong In-gon was never a gentle person, but this was the first time he had been this angry.
"Assistant Manager Jeong Eun-hee. This is the Association. And am I not the Association President? Are you planning to disobey my orders?"
"That... That's not..."
"Go back. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't barge in like this again. Follow procedure and protocol. I didn't raise my daughter to be like that."
Jeong In-gon sat back down, his gaze shifting to his desk.
It was a clear sign that he had nothing more to say to her.
But Eun-hee had no intention of backing down.
*Clack-!*
"Then I quit, effective immediately. That solves it, right?"
"You...!"
Eun-hee unfastened the scabbard she was wearing and placed it on the table.
Then, ignoring Jeong In-gon's call, she turned and stormed out the door without a backward glance.
"Eun-hee, Jeong Eun-hee!"
***
Near the eastern blockade line.
Against the endlessly swarming monsters, Young-jin and Ji-yoon were the most active.
"Ji-yoon! One's heading your way!"
Young-jin shouted to Ji-yoon as he stabbed a monster.
"Got it!"
Ji-yoon swiftly beheaded the monster in front of her, then swung her sword at the approaching one.
*Clang-!*
*Clatter-.*
"Ah, damn it!"
Ji-yoon's sword shattered against the Grade 7 monster, a Blade Mantis, and fell to the ground in two pieces.
As its name suggested, the Blade Mantis was a mantis-shaped monster with sharp, steel-like arms.
*Swoosh-!*
The Blade Mantis's arm sliced through the air, and Ji-yoon barely managed to block it with her sword.
But her already broken sword was cracked, and the Blade Mantis's blade shattered it completely, digging into Ji-yoon's side.
*Clang-!*
"Are you okay?"
Yook Hyun-jae, who had appeared out of nowhere, pulled Ji-yoon back and parried the Blade Mantis's arm.
Son Jeong-gyu arrived right after and, together with Yook Hyun-jae, plunged his sword into the Blade Mantis's body.
"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?"
"Yeah. Ji-yoon, Team 3 will handle this area, so take a short break."
Yook Hyun-jae and Son Jeong-gyu stood protectively in front of Ji-yoon, who was clutching the hilt of her broken sword.
Perhaps because it had been a while since she'd fought alongside her Team 3 members, Ji-yoon had been swinging her sword recklessly.
She had trusted in the growth she'd achieved through constant sparring with Do-jae.
But the ordinary, standard-issue sword couldn't handle her power and ended up shattering into pieces.
"Do you have a spare?"
"There should be a supply unit at the blockade construction line. Go get some rest while you're at it."
"Team Leader Shim Young-jin is here, and so is our Team Leader Park, so you don't need to worry."
Ji-yoon looked toward the front line where the battle was raging.
Young-jin was hunting monsters with incredible ferocity, and the other members of Team 3 were pushing back the monsters alongside their new team leader, Park Han-gyeol.
"Alright. I'll be right back."
Leaving Yook Hyun-jae and Son Jeong-gyu, who nodded at her, behind, Ji-yoon started running toward the blockade line.
And she berated herself for her arrogance.
"Without the Cape of Judgment, I'm..."
Ji-yoon realized just how much she had come to rely on the 'Cape of Judgment' after receiving it as a gift.
She felt pathetic for being unable to perform at even half her usual skill just because she had a different sword.
In the meantime, she reached the blockade line and was looking for the supply unit.
Just then, Ji-yoon's eyes caught sight of a familiar face.
"Huh? You're...?"
"Hoo, hoo... Are you perhaps a member of the Guardian Guild?"
The woman asked, breathing heavily.
It was Eun-hee.