Emergency Situation Erupts
Team 45, we are entering the nest. Keep your eyes open—communication may go dead.
“Understood.”
After Jang Hwa-young finished her situation report, the special forces unit plunged into the nest.
The nest was nothing short of a sea of mucus. The substance felt mildly acidic, yet it didn’t seem to pose any immediate threat to contact. What disgusted them far more were the grotesque, root-like stems that sprawled in every direction, thick and twisting like the veins of some colossal beast. Everyone shrugged and moved on. Kang-jun alone studied them with keen attention. They looked disturbingly organic.
“Leader.”
He called out softly to Jang Hwa-young. She approached. He pointed at the roots with two fingers. She scanned them, then gave him a long, questioning stare—still none the wiser.
“It’s alive.”
“Alive? Why?”
“If we follow these stems, we should reach the core.”
“Then that’s the way to go.”
Jang Hwa-young patted his shoulder twice.
“Let’s follow them, then.”
Of course, they couldn’t guarantee the dungeon boss would appear at the end of this path, but it was the most promising route available. They had no choice.
The special forces followed the long, swaying stem. The corridor was enormous, and more than half its walls and floor were crowded with these same monstrous roots that converged toward a single glowing center. The flickering lamps cast an endless, sickly light down the tunnel. Monsters poured out endlessly, blocking the way. The swarm grew like a snowball.
The passage was so vast that the walls and ceiling were completely enveloped by the twisting stems. It reminded Kang-jun of a server farm’s wiring running into a central hub.
“Tch! This is ridiculous.”
Kang-jun felt his stamina drain steadily. Level-ups were wonderful, but damn, these things kept spawning endlessly. Without Jang Hwa-young he wouldn’t even have dared this mission. S-rank was S-rank.
“Let’s rest for a bit.”
Jang Hwa-young checked the team’s condition and called for a break. They had no idea how long the corridor was. Pushing forward blindly would be suicide. They needed to preserve strength for whatever waited deeper.
Kang-jun sat and immediately began circulating his mana with the Heavenly Demon Mind Method, spinning it through the vast pathways. His body felt lighter again.
Of course, no one expected the monsters to leave them alone. The stems pulsed and pulsed, spewing forth more creatures from every direction. The team’s hot breath mingled with the rank stench as they slaughtered relentlessly.
Kang-jun was concentrating hard. If he lost focus for even a second, it would be over. His chest burned with the effort, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on.
“Keep pushing!”
“Yeah!”
Even though their voices sounded ragged, the veterans showed no fear in their eyes. This was the hardest mission they’d ever run.
The team rose and moved again. Branches split off occasionally, but the main stems still funneled everything toward the heart. Kang-jun felt a surge of certainty. Following this path would lead to the core—without a doubt.
Monsters kept coming. Now they attacked from behind as well. The guards and dealers sprinted like they were covered in shit.
Jang Hwa-young was magnificent, but Kang-jun outshone her in sheer brilliance. Among the 45th branch, he was probably top three in pure ability. How the hell did these things keep spawning? Everyone wondered the same thing. A-class or not, it felt completely alien.
Jang Hwa-young was subtly shielding him, and for good reason. In this era of rare biological specimens, a genius from the same faction had appeared. Without them, they couldn’t have made it through without losing an arm or two to the monsters’ bellies.
Current time: 6:10 p.m.
They had been sweating so much they gulped water nonstop, and the canteen was now half empty. They had maybe four hours left at best. They chewed energy bars and filled their empty stomachs.
“Can we finish this today?”
“If we can’t, we die trying.”
The team had lost almost all their humor. Stamina was reaching its limit. Even the monstrous Jang Hwa-young looked exhausted—after all, she had handled nearly half the monsters that appeared.
The team trudged forward again. From now on, it was pure will and blood.
“There!”
The special forces finally reached the end of the corridor. It had taken more than an hour just to get here. What the hell was the depth of this place?
…And when they stood at the final turn and stared inside, their jaws dropped.
At the center stood a colossal tree-like structure. Hundreds of stems radiated outward like veins, each one connecting to a separate hole. It glowed with a bright fluorescent light, illuminating the entire core.
“Holy shit.”
One of the members voiced what everyone was thinking. Jang Hwa-young, who had seen almost everything in decades, actually looked disgusted. Kang-jun, who had endured far worse, remained calm.
It was smaller than he had imagined.
Kang-jun had expected a much larger scale. He felt slightly reassured. Even so, they might still be able to handle it. Worst case, a few of them would die—but that was their problem. As long as Jang Hwa-young survived, the rest didn’t matter.
Inside were not only small creatures but also massive soldier monsters rushing at them with terrifying speed.
“Silver Emperor!”
Jang Hwa-young shouted the buff mage’s name loudly. It was time to use her mana.
Silver Emperor Eun-duba drew the spell instantly on the floor. His exhausted, heavy body suddenly felt light. “This is it! Everyone, feel the rush!”
Kang-jun blurred like a winged phantom, carving through the monsters. Jang Hwa-young did the same.
When they took down soldier monsters, the level-up effects hit especially hard. The thrill made Kang-jun swing his sword even faster. The taste of rising stats was addictive.
“Advance slowly!”
Jang Hwa-young called out to the team. They carved through the swarming monsters and made steady progress. The numbers were huge, but the buffs made the fight manageable.
Then the central tree-like structure flashed with light. “Fuck, what the—?”
Almost immediately, dozens of tunnels erupted with monsters pouring out from every side.
Shit, this is bad.
In that instant, Kang-jun and Jang Hwa-young locked eyes. They both understood. They couldn’t do this alone.
“Hold on! We’ll handle the rest and come back!”
Kang-jun took a long, deep breath. They charged forward, slicing through the enemies without mercy.
Eun-duba poured every last drop of his mana into the backs of the two, etching protective spells. Even if they lasted only three or four minutes, it was a hundred times better than nothing.
Monsters poured from every corridor. Kang-jun and Jang Hwa-young were strong, but they couldn’t face all of them. It was wiser to cut a path and flee.
Kang-jun focused with everything he had. One mistake would be fatal. His breath was at its limit, but he clenched his teeth and endured.
It was impossible alone. But with Jang Hwa-young beside him, it was possible. As they fought back to back, old memories surfaced. The time they had faced the 3rd dungeon boss and S-rank Abosev together.
Of course, this was nothing compared to that.
Yet it was fucking hard. His level was far lower, and the quantity of monsters was overwhelming.
Huff… huff…
They poured out ragged breaths. They couldn’t stop. Before more came, they had to cut through and run. Time was now the only battle.
After countless swings, they finally reached the base of the giant tree pillar. Up close, it was connected to a swollen-bellied monster that was laying eggs like crazy.
That was the core.
Kang-jun was certain the moment he saw it. But it was completely hidden by the swarm of soldier monsters. “Too many… at least a dozen by rough count.”
He seriously considered retreating.
“Lee Kang-jun!”
Jang Hwa-young shouted his name and charged. He chopped one monster in half and turned to her. In that split second, their eyes met again as they fought the next wave.
Okay. Let’s trust this bastard one more time. If it doesn’t work, we run.
Kang-jun bared his teeth. He gathered mana, inhaled deeply, and slammed his right foot into the ground. Time slowed. His senses sharpened to the extreme. Every sound, every movement, was crystal clear.
He poured every ounce of strength into his fist. A crack echoed through his palm.
Jang Hwa-young, who had been fighting distractedly, suddenly felt the enormous mana condensation. She whipped her head toward him.
This…!
Kang-jun took a massive breath and flared his eyes.
“The Curved Blade, at last, cuts even Mount Tai.”
“Taesan Jeolgokseom.”
The sword moved.
And space itself was sliced.
Dozens of monsters charging at Kang-jun were bisected mid-stride by the single blow and collapsed forward.
“Jang Hwa-young!”
He roared her name. Of course she was already moving—trying not to miss the gap he had created.
Jang Hwa-young dashed straight for the core, carving through a few soldier monsters in her way.
She pulled every ounce of mana and flashed like lightning, slicing the monsters apart until she reached the queen’s front.
The enormous-bodied queen monster was still laying eggs. It was almost like a curse.
Die.
She swung her sword horizontally with all her might, chopping the core into countless pieces. The queen collapsed, twitching, letting out a pathetic cry. The glowing stems continued to flash.
Simultaneously, the movements of every monster in the area became erratic. They staggered, glowing wildly. Kang-jun exhaled the breath he had been holding. She had succeeded.
Jang Hwa-young turned and ran. Kang-jun chased right behind her without hesitation. The monsters remained confused and flailing in place.
“Everyone, exit quickly!”
The leader called out to the team. Several were injured, but no one had died. Carlos hoisted the wounded onto his back. They sprinted back down the corridor.
Whimper… whimper…
The cries grew smaller.
The corridor was packed with monsters, but their sluggish movements made the fight far easier. They moved like creatures who had lost all purpose.
The special forces moved quickly. Their faces showed they were about to die, but they gritted their teeth and ran. Even though they thought it was over, they cleared the one-hour route in under thirty minutes.
Haaaa…
The moment they emerged, they collapsed onto the ground, panting. Everyone lay sprawled out, staring at the sky. A beautiful red sunset was spreading across the horizon.
Kang-jun fell heavily onto his back too. …Fuck. I can’t believe I actually pulled that off. It was harder than the mana fluctuation incident in the dungeon a few months ago. I wouldn’t have tried it without Jang Hwa-young.
“Fuck… just don’t give us the bonus, okay? You fucking bastards.”
A grumbling voice muttered the complaint. The team burst into loud laughter.
Jang Hwa-young sat up after a long while, pulled out her phone, and contacted someone.
“Yeah, it’s me, branch head… Yes. Mission complete. Uh-huh… And give the kids plenty of bonuses. Vacation too. They really suffered. If not, I’ll flip everything upside down.”
Carlos, still carrying the injured on his back, punched his throbbing waist and grumbled.
“Leader, ask for a week of vacation. My waist feels twisted.”
“A week of vacation. Yeah… hey, just give it. You asshole! Principles are bullshit… Okay. Ended.”
Jang Hwa-young hung up, irritated. The band-aid version of a lizard. Only she could curse out the branch head like that. Everyone laughed heartily.
Suddenly the laughter died. The team lay in complete silence, staring at the sky like they had lost their minds.
Jang Hwa-young smiled faintly and gave the exhausted team one last word.
“Good work.”