Dungeon 2 Expedition (Part 2)
Kang-jun couldn’t stop the yawn that slipped out. It came out again and again until he finally gave up. Last night he had stayed up tormenting Hye-mi and Zixu until dawn. Even though he was exhausted, he couldn’t just lie down either. There was an appointment waiting at dawn. Something about borrowing supplies from Punch Management.
At the moment the team was still small, so funds were tight. They couldn’t afford to buy everything at full price, so a few items had to be rented.
Of course, renting still wasn’t cheap. Kang-jun had planned to just buy cheap junk with the money and keep using it forever, but the representative had given him a decent discount, so the actual cost came in well below average.
Among the rented items, the lightweight backpack was the most popular. To make money you had to haul monster bones and cores, and the heavier the bag, the less you could carry. That was obvious. Teams put extra money into these bags because the cheaper they were, the more they broke, and when one was enchanted with even a useless magic, the price jumped into the hundreds of millions.
Of course, Kang-jun’s current budget couldn’t even dream of it. In a 3rd-rank dungeon the best you could do was eat and sleep for a month. To aim for a big haul you needed at least a 2nd-rank dungeon to collect Mana Cores, but none of his members were strong enough yet.
Kang-jun leaned his head back slightly and rubbed the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. The fatigue in his body was nothing compared to the mental kind. Still, with his stamina stat so high, a night or two without sleep barely affected daily life. The only problem was the constant yawns.
“I see you didn’t get much sleep, Mr. Lee.”
The cafe owner set down a coffee cup and opened the conversation.
“Ah, yeah… I have some business.”
“…There’s a little honey in here. Would you like a cup of honey water?”
“You’ll make it for me?”
Kang-jun didn’t refuse her kindness. A sweet honey water might even help his throat.
While she went back behind the counter looking for the honey, a soft clinking sound rang out and the door opened. A woman dressed in a tailored suit with her hair pulled up neatly into a bun walked in. Everything about her screamed “I’m working.” Her face was that of a big puppy.
Wearing heels, she stepped over on click-click heels and came straight over to Kang-jun, checking his name quietly.
“Lee Kang-jun… right?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m your manager, Kang So-mi.”
They exchanged a light handshake. The moment she sat across from him, she pulled a single sheet of paper from her handbag and slid it over. Her resume. Names from other heroes lined up one after another.
“From now on, President Jang has ordered that everything you were handling be turned over and that Lee Kang-jun be managed exclusively.”
“You’re quite capable, aren’t you?”
“Among the staff, my name probably won’t be missing from anything related to this side.”
She had a strong sense of pride. Kang-jun took the business card she offered, skimmed it front and back, and tucked it into his jacket.
At that moment the owner came back with the honey water and placed it on the table in front of Kang-jun. Then she exchanged a few words with Kang So-mi.
“Oh, long time no see, So-mi.”
“Have you been well, unnie? …She’s a close unnie, right?”
“Americano?”
“Yeah, iced. Mm.”
Kang So-mi’s gaze returned to Kang-jun. She clasped her hands on the table.
“Then the Hero Association exam… when is that?”
“I’m planning on the second half. The team isn’t solid enough yet.”
“By the way, you said you’re renting today, right?”
As she spoke she slid a folder and pen across to him.
“All the items you requested are ready. Just sign at the bottom. Verify the amounts yourself.”
Kang-jun took out the documents and checked them carefully. He scanned the list to make sure nothing was missing. The final rental fee was tallied at the bottom. Roughly 4.5 million won. A perfectly reasonable price.
“Perfect. I’ll sign right away.”
“Yes, there are blanks there. Sign in the blanks. The amount will be deposited to the account at the bottom.”
After signing, he and Kang So-mi each kept one copy of the contract. Kang-jun downed half his honey water in one gulp. The sweet scent lingered in his mouth.
“Then I’ll see you at 6 a.m. sharp tomorrow at 42nd Zone, 31-7, right?”
Kang So-mi confirmed there were no issues and Kang-jun nodded once.
“Yes, the contract is finished. If there’s anything else you need…”
“Will you be going too, Miss So-mi?”
“Yes. I have to go as well. I need to do a final check before handing over the rental items.”
And that was the rule, she added. After all, these weren’t cheap items; they had to be checked as thoroughly as if checking their own bodies.
Kang So-mi sipped the coffee the owner had brought her. Kang-jun spoke.
“So I should just call that number on your business card?”
“Yes. …Also, anything related to the organization should be handled only through communication. We should meet in person. That’s the internal regulation.”
In other words, leave no small trace behind. Kang-jun understood perfectly. He had already heard it from President Jang Wei.
“I heard it from the representative.”
“Contact me whenever you have time and I’ll come right away.”
“Yes. …Then, shall we stand up?”
“Ah, you’re leaving already?”
They rose from their seats and walked outside. The owner waved them off hurriedly. In front of the cafe the two men and woman shook hands again.
“Then I’ll head in.”
“Yes, go in and take a look.”
Kang-jun glanced at the owner and gave her a wink, saying he’d had a good drink of the honey water. Her face lit up as she shyly told him to be careful coming in.
Kang-jun turned and headed toward the subway station. The two women watched the back of his disappearing figure until it vanished from sight.
· · ·
7:07 a.m., Monday of the third week of April.
Kang-jun checked the time and put his phone back in his pocket. The team had finished preparing to enter the dungeon and were waiting for the van. Even though it was still spring, the dungeon was cold, so they had dressed in thick, warm layers. The luxury gear cost hundreds of millions per outfit, but it was worth every penny.
“Eh, over there!”
Hye-mi, arms crossed as she scanned the surroundings, finally spotted the van speeding toward them.
“Everyone grab your bags.”
Kang-jun told his teammates to pick up the luggage they had left behind and walked to the roadside. The van waited at the turn signal, then turned back and stopped right in front of the Kang-jun team. The side door slid open smoothly and Kang So-mi greeted them from inside.
“Yes, get in quickly.”
Five of them climbed aboard fast. The back seat was taken by O-gonam and the Troll girl. There was room for four, but the two of them were so big they filled the space perfectly.
Kang So-mi introduced herself without any hesitation, offering her hand to each member. Everyone shook it lightly.
“Here’s the list.”
Kang So-mi handed the rental list to Kang-jun. He skimmed it and nodded. Nothing seemed missing.
“Then everything’s checked?”
“If you want, you can get out and verify it yourself.”
The van rolled smoothly down the road. It drove for a long time and finally reached the 48th Zone. By then the sun was rising. Hye-mi pulled back the curtain and looked out the window. The van was racing over a bridge above a river, and the sunrise overlapped perfectly, creating a truly breathtaking view.
Inside the van everyone leaned into the rattling vibration without a word. The speed gradually slowed. They had arrived near the dungeon entrance.
“We’re here.”
The driver turned off the engine. Kang So-mi pressed the door button. The side door slid open. The team members carried their luggage and got out of the van.
Other dungeon teams glanced at them briefly. After checking their faces they quickly looked away and went back to their own business.
Kang-jun opened the rear trunk of the van and instructed the team to take out the bags. As O-gonam and the Troll girl pulled out each item, he checked the list. Everything was accounted for perfectly.
“Yes, all verified.”
“Then we’ll meet here on Saturday evening?”
“It could be sooner or later. Dungeons are unpredictable.”
“Of course we accounted for that.”
The team organized the rented items and repacked their bags. Now they truly looked like a proper dungeon team. Hye-mi had a somewhat excited expression.
“Then good luck, Mr. Lee.”
Kang-jun gave a small wave to the manager and headed toward the dungeon entrance. She sighed “Ha” and stuffed both hands into her pockets.
The team arrived right in front of the entrance. Kang-jun showed his ID to the staff and passed through. Hye-mi whispered to the senior near the entrance, which was engraved with some pattern.
“That’s the Hero Organization emblem.”
“They manage it from here.”
“Then there must be trouble, right?”
“It’s the same as other dungeons. Since the Hero Organization manages it directly, they’ll just take more taxes. That’s it.”
“Wow, total thugs.”
Hye-mi had dismissed the Hero Association as thieves. Since they were already walking, Kang-jun continued the conversation without any restraint.
“Especially in dungeons managed by the Hero Organization, Heroes are officially allowed to participate. …There were Heroes at those other dungeon teams earlier, right?”
“Really?”
Given how at odds they were, they had to be sensitive to the existence of Heroes.
“Well, this one is technically 3rd-rank but has a bit of a 2nd-rank feel, so Heroes come here often.”
This dungeon was especially popular with the in-between ranks. That was why it had the most C-rank Heroes. Occasionally lower B-ranks were spotted.
The reasons varied. Money, growth, and sometimes trying to seduce partners. Well, among the Heroes there were plenty who were half-mad, so the possibility wasn’t zero. Was there even one horny guy among them?
They soon reached the final waiting area. Two teams were already preparing to depart. One was quite large, roughly twenty people. To get rich from that size you’d have to go deep, but of course it was their problem.
Before entering, Kang-jun gave one last warning.
“Even ten precautions aren’t enough for a dungeon. Remember that.”
“Yes!”
The Kang-jun team stepped into the dungeon.
The pitch-black darkness greeted them with a sharp tongue.
