Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Vanguard Party
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"Just how far does this thing go?"
*Snap-!*
Gwak Ji-hyeok asked as he twisted a Shademan's neck.
"I'm not sure, sir... This is the fourth pit already."
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Chief Choi spoke after killing the last Shademan beside Gwak Ji-hyeok.
They had been fighting Shademen for an hour now.
Chief Choi prided himself on having stamina that rivaled even an S-rank hunter, but even he was utterly exhausted.
"Perhaps we should head back now, sir. It's already been three days. The team's condition is..."
At Chief Choi's words, Gwak Ji-hyeok glanced around.
Most of the hunters were panting, clearly struggling.
Some had minor injuries, and a few from the supporting guilds had fallen behind and weren't even here.
"Hmm... Hold on a sec."
Gwak Ji-hyeok walked on, kicking the scattered bodies of the Shademen out of his way.
About ten meters away, another group of hunters was taking a short break after finishing their own battle.
"Kim Se-hoon!"
Gwak Ji-hyeok had approached the members of Korea's number one guild, Great Tiger. Another S-rank hunter, Kim Se-hoon, was there.
"What's the plan? My Chief Choi says we should head back."
"I agree. We were thinking the same thing."
Compared to Taebaek, the Great Tiger Guild was in better shape.
They had entered about a day later, following the path already cleared by Taebaek and the other Gyeongsang region guilds.
Nevertheless, Kim Se-hoon had decided it was time to retreat.
To him, the members of the Great Tiger Guild were more precious than anything.
"Alright, then. Let's regroup and come back."
"Understood."
Gwak Ji-hyeok returned to where the Taebaek Guild members were gathered.
He spoke to the waiting Chief Choi.
"Chief Choi, you take the guys and get out. Then bring the ones who are still in good shape down to the second level. Don't come any further."
"Sir? Then what are you planning to do...?"
"I've gotta go down further, don't I?"
Gwak Ji-hyeok began packing his gear into a backpack brought by his guild members.
He changed into clean clothes and packed water and food.
"President, going alone is too reckless. I'll go with you."
"No. You have to look after the team. There could be monsters that have climbed up from here. You make sure you take good care of them."
"...Even for you, President, going alone... I can't even imagine what's down there."
"Hey, don't you worry. Besides, didn't that other guy go down alone? He can go, but I can't?"
Gwak Ji-hyeok gripped Chief Choi's shoulder firmly.
Chief Choi could read the determination in his eyes.
Once Gwak Ji-hyeok made up his mind, there was no changing it.
"I understand. But please, don't push yourself too hard. We at Taebaek will keep the path clear for your return."
"Right. That's all I need."
"Everyone on your feet! We're heading back!"
Chief Choi led the guild members back the way they came.
Gwak Ji-hyeok remained alone, and after confirming that all his guild members were gone, he prepared to move forward again.
But just then, shadows began to appear behind him, one by one.
Recognizing who they were, Gwak Ji-hyeok felt a sense of reassurance and smiled.
***
"Kim Se-hoon, Park Kang-joo. And the Division Commander and Headquarters Director, ain't it?"
Four Awakeners gathered before Gwak Ji-hyeok.
Kim Se-hoon of Great Tiger, Park Kang-joo of Dawn, Bang Han-soo of the Suppression Corps, and Song Jeong-eun of the Association.
Two S-ranks and three A-ranks were now gathered in one place.
"Gwak Ji-hyeok. Why didn't you turn back?"
"Same reason as you, Kim Se-hoon."
Gwak Ji-hyeok said with a grin.
To take another step forward in a situation where you might die was the act of a madman.
But who were they?
Weren't they the ones called S-rank, beings who had transcended humanity?
To think they would act like ordinary people would be an insult to the S-rank designation.
"Kang-joo, why are you here?"
"Whew... I had a feeling you'd stay behind, President Gwak. Just as I thought, you and Mr. Kim Se-hoon didn't leave."
"Foolish bastard... What about the other guilds?"
"A few said they'd stay, but they followed after seeing Chief Choi head up. I sent my people back and came alone."
"Good job. But why have our Division Commander and Headquarters Director come all this way?"
Gwak Ji-hyeok looked at Bang Han-soo and Song Jeong-eun.
They must have just arrived, as their attire was still clean.
"Because you weren't answering any of our calls."
With each pit they descended, a new world unfolded.
From the third pit, or the third basement level, all radios and phones went dead, making communication with the upper levels impossible.
Just like being inside a dungeon.
"So the Headquarters Director came down herself? Isn't that dangerous?"
"I thought something might have happened. That's why I brought the Division Commander with me."
At Song Jeong-eun's words, Bang Han-soo offered a handshake.
He and Gwak Ji-hyeok had a small argument in the temporary barracks, but they were both people of considerable standing.
To them, such a thing was too trivial to hold a grudge over.
"I saw on my way down. There were no serious injuries. Truly befitting of you Presidents."
"Not at all. More importantly, with the Division Commander here in person, we can fight without holding back."
Bang Han-soo's arrival was a very welcome development.
It was no exaggeration to say that the key to conquering a dungeon was the healer.
The success rate of a dungeon raid increased dramatically depending on the presence of a healer with powerful recovery magic.
Of course, low-level dungeons could be cleared with brute force, but in a Dungeon Break area like this or in a high-level dungeon, the difficulty skyrocketed without a healer.
In that sense, Bang Han-soo, an A-rank healer from the Suppression Corps, would be an immense help in the pits below.
"First, there's something I need to tell you. Everyone, please take a look at this."
Song Jeong-eun gathered the Awakeners, pulling up an application on her smartphone.
On the screen was a cross-section view of the underground area.
"Our current position is right about here."
The location Song Jeong-eun pointed to was the fourth basement level, not far from the pit leading further down.
She zoomed in on the map to show more detail.
"These red dots are the observed locations of monsters."
There were areas on the map colored red, and when she pressed a button, the cross-section became a 3D model, showing things more clearly.
As she moved the view with her finger, the situation on each floor became visible.
Levels one through four had significantly fewer red dots, but from below that point, there were countless dots of a much brighter and more vivid red.
"We can't receive any more data, so this isn't up-to-date, but I wanted you to be aware of the sheer number of monsters."
"Director Song Jeong-eun. I believe the important part is here."
Kim Se-hoon pointed his finger to the very bottom of the map.
The seventh basement level.
Among the many red dots, one was exceptionally large and distinct.
"Yes. That's what I came to tell you. According to the Hunter Administration's observations, it's a Class 1 monster, a species not yet in our database. They said its minimum observed rank is Class 1, with a high probability of it being even stronger."
"Hmm..."
"Ahem..."
Gwak Ji-hyeok and Kim Se-hoon, who had been in the pit all this time, grunted.
"Class 1 or higher... A Named Monster might have appeared this time as well."
Park Kang-joo said, covering his mouth with a thoughtful expression.
It was four years ago.
A massive Dungeon Break in the South Sea had caused immense damage to the Wando County area.
Half the islands of Jindo County had vanished, and countless people had died. The cause had been a Class 1 monster.
Monsters among the Class 1 category that caused catastrophic damage were given names, and that one had been named 'Yeongdeung Halmae'.
If the Class 1 or higher monster observed on the seventh level were to crawl out, the extent of the damage would be unimaginable.
"There's one more thing. A massive concentration of mana was observed on the seventh floor. But they can't tell if it's human or monster..."
"What do you mean?"
When Park Kang-joo asked with a confused look, Song Jeong-eun zoomed in on the map again.
"Here. If you look closely, you can see a single blue dot."
A single blue dot among countless red ones.
Humans and monsters were distinguished by blue and red, but one exceptionally bright blue dot was right in the middle of the red ones.
"It's blue now, but they say it occasionally turns red."
"The Hunter Administration must have made a mistake."
"That's what I said at first, but they insisted it wasn't. They're certain that a single entity is alternating between blue and red."
"Come on, who could possibly do that?"
Park Kang-joo shook his head in disbelief.
But the other four nodded.
Gwak Ji-hyeok and Song Jeong-eun, in particular, were thinking of the same person.
"In any case, you know from experience that the monsters get stronger the deeper we go. From the sixth level onward, it'll be mostly Class 2 and 3 monsters, so you'll need to be prepared."
"Talking won't change anything. Let's get moving."
Kim Se-hoon took the lead, getting into position.
Song Jeong-eun followed him, Gwak Ji-hyeok and Bang Han-soo took the center, and Park Kang-joo covered the rear.
Even for S-rank hunters and their equivalents, a standard formation allowed for swift responses to unexpected situations.
"Let's move out!"
With Gwak Ji-hyeok's booming voice, the ultimate party of five began their descent.
***
"Ughhh... Good work, everyone..."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon collapsed onto his bed, his voice weary.
One by one, Young-jin, Ji-yoon, and the Park Ha-gong trio entered, slumping into their seats with exhausted expressions.
And finally.
Eun-hee, looking much more haggard than she had five days ago, came inside.
"You worked hard too, Ms. Eun-hee."
"Not at all. It's all thanks to you."
After nearly five days with the Guardian Guild, Eun-hee had grown quite close to them.
She had become closest with Ji-yoon.
"You did everything, unni. Who do you think is the reason we're the most active team on the eastern front?"
"No, Ji-yoon. I couldn't have done anything without you."
Ji-yoon clung to Eun-hee and held out her hand.
Eun-hee placed a pouch filled with various facial cleansers and cosmetics into Ji-yoon's hand.
"Unni! Let's go wash up, quick. So-eun, let's go."
Ji-yoon took Eun-hee's hand and went outside the barracks with Gong So-eun.
This was the Suppression Corps' barracks.
The Guardian Guild, having come from afar to provide support, was borrowing one of the buildings.
"We should go too. If we don't go now, we'll lose our spot to the Suppression Corps soldiers."
"Yeah, let's go..."
Young-jin and Jeong Hoon-hyeon stood up, and the other two members of the Park Ha-gong trio followed.
And so, after finishing their showers, all the guild members returned to the barracks, rested, and one by one, drifted off to sleep.
Exhausted from days of grueling suppression activities, they were so deeply asleep that they didn't even notice the sun beginning to rise. And then.
*KRA-KOOOOM—!*
An immense earthquake shook the very foundations of the earth, accompanied by a deafening explosion that numbed their eardrums.