Chapter 182: Dungeon Impact
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 182: Dungeon Impact
Dungeon Impact.
A magnitude 7 earthquake had struck Japan.
Because it was a country well-prepared for seismic activity, casualties weren't high, but power outages and collapsed roads had paralyzed many urban functions.
The screens showed tilted houses and fallen bookshelves, but in truth, that wasn't the important part.
As if adding insult to injury, the earthquake had triggered a Dungeon Impact.
Hadn't Rahiya explained that the earthquake acted as the catalyst?
Regardless, the theory didn't matter.
The event had already begun, and if immediate action wasn't taken, monsters would come pouring out of countless dungeons.
A special news report showed drone footage of cities near Sagami Bay.
The sight of elegant dungeon entrances lined up in residential areas was chilling.
To the uninitiated, it might have looked like some sort of installation art, but the heroes standing before the TV watched with grim expressions.
When dungeons were clustered like that, if even one "burst," it would affect the others, causing a chain reaction of explosions.
The damage from monsters crawling out of a single dungeon was already significant; a domino effect of explosions would bring a literal tide of monsters.
The antique-looking dungeon gates, nestled peacefully amidst the half-ruined streets, struck terror into the hearts of the heroes.
"..."
Satomi, watching the screen beside me, turned ashen.
Her dark eyes, which usually remained calm, shook violently, and she bit her lip so hard it looked like it might bleed.
The screen cut to a press conference featuring the executive I had seen at the Association.
"The Korean Hero Association anticipated this Dungeon Impact and warned the Japan Association in advance, but unfortunately, this tragedy has occurred. Accordingly, the Korean government and the Association..."
Look at them, acting all high and mighty over another country's misfortune.
And they were certainly making good use of the information I gave them. Greedy pigs.
"The Clan Leader is calling for you."
Lee Ru-da’s personal secretary approached me at some point and spoke in a flat tone.
I looked at her, then turned back to my party members. They were all staring at me.
"Get ready."
I didn't specify what for, but they all understood and nodded.
Satomi, in particular, had a fierce look in her eyes, as if she were ready to bolt out the door this very second.
Leaving Satomi to be comforted by the others, I followed the secretary to Lee Ru-da.
Lee Ru-da, who had been staring intensely at her monitor with her arms crossed, glared at me with a cold gaze as I sat down.
"How much do you know?"
"...If I say it was just a... prediction... you won't buy it, right?"
"I'm not in the mood for jokes."
I suppose I had revealed too much.
Lee Ru-da was radiating an aura that went beyond her usual grumpiness—it was pure bloodlust. I straightened my posture.
"I have no intention of playing prophet."
"I don't care where or how you found out. Lives are at stake. Spill everything you know."
"...Next is China."
At my answer, Lee Ru-da flinched, her expression hardening.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"Who would believe a greenhorn who just reached B-rank? Oh, I suppose you would, Clan Leader. But then what? What changes if Square Garden speaks up?"
"..."
"Even if we warn them that a Dungeon Impact is definitely coming, they won't listen. The Korean Association already warned Japan, and they did nothing. What use is it if I tell you early?"
Lee Ru-da stared at me as I questioned her, then finally averted her gaze.
"Fine. I'm sure you've agonized over it. So, when is this 'next' for China?"
"In a little less than a year."
"...Dammit."
Lee Ru-da spat out a curse, her anger boiling over.
Japan was actually in a relatively better position.
If heroes were sent to support Japan because of the Dungeon Impact, the hero forces of other countries would be spread thin.
This wasn't a problem that could be solved in a week or two; heroes would be tied down in Japan for months. Countries lacking sufficient heroes would have to solve their own internal problems with whatever remained.
Naturally, they would try to coordinate dungeon clears while anticipating the end of the Japanese crisis, but China was next on the list.
If the heroes who went to Japan returned and were late in stabilizing their own countries' dungeons, they wouldn't be able to send support to China.
And what about the villains and errors, not just the dungeons?
Once support was sent, time was needed to stabilize one's own nation.
If things went wrong, China might have to face a Dungeon Impact with only its own heroes and insufficient support.
Lee Ru-da furrowed her fine brows as she calculated the potential damage.
"The only silver lining is that the Korean Association's credibility has risen because of their warning."
"Even so, it won't mean a thing to China."
Whether it was a trait of East Asian nations or the result of their long, intertwined histories, these neighboring countries never listened to one another.
Declaring a Dungeon Impact at a national level meant accepting massive economic damage.
Because of a Dungeon Impact that might or might not happen, industries in the region would grind to a halt, and the government would have to provide support for evacuees.
So, even if there was a possibility, they would just pray it wouldn't happen and keep their mouths shut.
And then a neighboring country starts shouting about a Dungeon Impact? They'd tell them to shut up.
"Korea needs to prepare as well."
As expected, Lee Ru-da was the epitome of a hero, unlike a commoner like me.
She did her best to save as many people as possible.
She intended to suppress Korea's dungeons as much as possible with the remaining heroes after sending support to Japan.
That way, they could provide support to China later.
Ultimately, it all came down to plugging the dungeons.
As long as monsters didn't come out of the dungeons, no one would die, and the Dungeon Impact crisis would end.
"From Square Garden, only send our Black Unicorn party."
"With your current strength, how much can you handle?"
"We've only cleared up to B-1 so far, but we can cover up to B-5."
Lee Ru-da seemed to be doing the math, staring into space for a moment before asking, "The Jewels of Life will be in short supply, so Black Unicorn will be a help. How many can you clear at once?"
"If they are short dungeons of B-3 or lower, we can destroy three at a time."
"Not consecutive clears, but destruction?"
"Yes, destruction."
Dungeons created by a Dungeon Impact must be cleared multiple times to exhaust their mana before the dungeon core appears and can be destroyed.
Since they had to be cleared three or four times, Black Unicorn's speed would be incomparable to other parties.
"That would be equivalent to sending an A-rank party. Is that really possible?"
"Yes. The first attempt might be slow, but once we've cleared it, we can cut the time in half."
When I answered confidently, Lee Ru-da nodded without suspicion and called the Association.
"Square Garden is sending the B-rank party, Black Unicorn."
As the Association staff member said something over the receiver, Lee Ru-da frowned in annoyance.
"No, Black Unicorn is the only one. There will be no further support."
The staff member kept babbling, but Lee Ru-da hung up without listening.
Setting the receiver down with a look of irritation, she looked back at me with her usual grumpy expression.
"Go and help Japan. Don't forget that you represent Square Garden. Contact me immediately if you need anything."
"Yes, I'll make sure the name of Square Garden is known far and wide."
I gave my farewell, stood up, and headed to the Black Unicorn strategy room.
When I opened the door, not only the members but also the staff dedicated to Black Unicorn were gathered, waiting for me.
"Get ready. We're going to Japan. It's going to be a forced march for two or three months, so be prepared."
"Understood!"
The staff members scurried out as soon as they heard those words.
The support team had a lot to prepare, so they had to move busily from now on to meet the schedule.
Once the last staff member closed the door, I turned to the members who were watching me in silence.
"We leave the day after tomorrow. Say your goodbyes to your families and get ready to go."
"How many parties are going from our side?" Lee Yu-na asked.
"Just Black Unicorn."
Lee Yu-na stared at me blankly, taken aback.
"Why? Do you think it's not enough?"
"...No. It's not that it's not enough."
"What about you, Satomi? Do you think Square Garden is being stingy?"
"No. If it's Black Unicorn, it will be a huge help. On behalf of Japan, I thank Black Unicorn and Square Garden for their assistance."
Having been a hero for a long time, she was well aware of the complicated procedures of hero activities.
Perhaps she had already expected this, as Satomi accepted it without showing any emotion.
"We're going to handle up to B-7 in Japan."
"B-7? Master... we've only cleared up to B-1... and we only did that once to test the waters. We don't even have the qualification..."
"We can get the qualification in Japan. We'll raise our level every three days."
The party members looked at me as if I were talking nonsense.
Usually, after entering a dungeon, one has to rest for a few days due to mana pollution. I was saying we would fill the required number of clears to rank up in a single day.
Ranking up through B-rank dungeons as quickly as D or C-ranks was a difficult task.
"B-1 was manageable, wasn't it?"
"Uh... well, that's true, but..."
Kwon Ye-jin laughed awkwardly and looked around for someone to help her.
From B-rank onwards, humanoid monsters appear and their intelligence increases, making things quite tricky.
It was only natural for her to be flustered when I said we'd climb one step every day.
But I hadn't raised Black Unicorn to be that weak.
"While we're at it, let's go up to B-8."
"A-young...?"
"What? This guy only says things he's confident he can do. I believe him. Is B-8 possible?"
Yoon A-young, speaking to the questioning Lee Yu-na, looked at me.
"It's possible. With a bit of luck, we can even do B-8."
"I trust the Leader too. If the Leader says we can do it, we can."
"Sigh... It's not that I don't trust you, Yeon-woo... but you always surprise me. Fine, let's go for B-8."
"Then are we going to break the World Record? Master, while we're at it, let's go all the way to A-rank!"
"No, that's impossible. And we're going there to provide relief, not to rank up."
"Ah... sorry, Satomi-unni."
Kwon Ye-jin apologized to Satomi, sensing the mood.
"No, the more Black Unicorn ranks up, the more Japanese dungeons will be cleared. To level up as the Captain said, we'd have to enter dungeons seven times a day. There's no B-rank party capable of that."
"Seven times... that's going to be really brutal."
"The number will decrease as we go higher, but I plan to destroy three dungeons at a time."
"..."
"As a Japanese person, I'm grateful, but... isn't that pushing it too far...?"
"I-if the Leader says so..."
Even Anna, who gave me infinite trust, looked away.
"Trust me."
"Ah, fuck, I shouldn't have joined. I should've just stayed in prison."
Hornet, who had only just begun to adjust to dungeons, sighed and scratched her head vigorously.
"Let's trust Yeon-woo. He's never been wrong before."
Lee Yu-na said, putting her arm around Kwon Ye-jin, who was just gaping.
"Right, he's never wrong. Even if he keeps a lot of secrets."
Yoon A-young grumbled as she stood up.
"I trust the Leader!"
Anna, whose faith had wavered for a moment, ran over and threw herself into my arms.
As I stroked her hair while she rubbed her cheek against my chest, I locked eyes with Satomi, who was wearing a bitter smile.
Like Hornet, she hadn't been part of the party for long, so there was a lack of trust.
But she'd believe it once I showed her.
"Black Unicorn isn't weak."
"Yes, I know that well... but you really mustn't overdo it. If a member of Black Unicorn gets mana pollution while trying to help..."
"I'll stop immediately if I think it's too much. I want to go all the way with these members too."
As Satomi said, if we collapsed while trying to help, it would be putting the cart before the horse.
Support would be coming from other countries as well, so Black Unicorn wouldn't overexert itself.
No matter what anyone said, I would move strictly within the plan to help Japan and grow Black Unicorn at the same time.
Yes, as long as no one interfered.
Suddenly, Baek Seo-woo's obnoxious face flashed through my mind, making me scowl.
They were the ones talking about returning to the essence of heroes; surely they wouldn't interfere with resolving a Dungeon Impact? But just in case, I had to stay on guard.