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The first anomaly that occurred after entering the dungeon was something that Jeong-Hoon did not notice, but his companions did. They stopped walking and had a strange expression on their faces saying that something is not right.
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s not a bad thing. It’s just
”
The Butler Joo, who was trying to answer Jeong-Hoon’s question, looked around to see if everyone felt the same.
“Hunter Han Si-Eun, did you feel your abilities getting stronger?”
“Yes. It’s very subtle, but something definitely feels different.”
“Really? I feel so comfortable now.”
When So-Hyun laughed and spoke to Si-Eun, Jeong-Hoon shrugged his shoulders.
“So, as a non-Awakened person I don’t feel anything, but you’re saying that everyone’s abilities have gotten stronger, right? That’s good.”
A dungeon is a dangerous area where you’ll never know what might happen. So, it is good news that the abilities of the allies have become stronger, so Jeong-Hoon simply nodded his head.
“That’s not true, Chairman Lee. The sudden increase in superpowers can make it rather difficult to handle.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Well, I’m comfortable because the pain is greatly reduced, but it’s usually a little different to deal with a subtle increase in ability
”
“Is there anyone here who can’t control that subtle difference?”
So-Hyun’s explanation was about to begin, but Jeong-Hoon asked back and was cut off.
“Well, so
”
“Aren’t you supposed to always clear dungeons in great condition?”
There is something that So-Hyun forgot because of the sudden decrease in pain and ease of movement, but there is a difference in condition depending on whether you are awakened or not.
“Isn’t that so?”
“That’s right, Chairman. You’re sharp as expected.”
The Butler Joo praised Jeong-Hoon for his sharpness, but he was not flattered, but rather shook his head.
“But the problem is that it’s a dungeon where a sudden rise in power occurs, that is, a phenomenon unknown to the world, right?”
Jeong-Hoon, who grasped the level of danger in this dungeon like an awakener, put on a serious expression.
Seeing that, So-Hyun and Si-Eun felt that Jeong-Hoon might not be just a genius businessman.
***
As the group advanced in the dungeon, everyone’s vigilance gradually disappeared.
In a dungeon that has not been cleared and had an effect of increasing one’s power, it is normal for anyone to be on their toes. However, since there are no encounters with monsters no matter how long they’ve walked further, they started to relax and let down their guard.
“But hasn’t it been a while since we came in?”
“It’s been almost two hours.”
Jeong-Hoon expressed his doubts, ast his legs were getting stiff, Butler Joo, who was leading the group, looked back.
The awakened members do not show any signs of exhaustion, but Jeong-Hoon, an unawakened person, is in a state in need of rest.
This is why the main focus of the dungeon attack is bound to be the awakening.
No matter how much you train, there is a difference in physical strength, so you can’t keep up with the Awakened.
“Even after walking this far, it’s still a passage, is this really a hiding place?”
They’ve been in for two hours, but there isn’t any place for people to live, only a passage.
Jeong-Hoon shook his head because any human being who would make such a place a hideout was out of his mind.
“This is the only thing I’ve ever seen moving. But this is beyond my expectation.”
Everyone shook their heads because no one had imagined that they had used a dungeon with only a passageway as their hiding place.
“Because it’s a dungeon like this, isn’t it supposed to be a hideout?”
Everyone was thinking about the usefulness of the dungeon as a hiding place, but when Si-Eun suddenly spoke her words, all eyes were focused.
“It’s a passage with no end in sight even after we’ve been in for two hours. Wouldn’t any person go back thinking that there is nothing?”
“Oh, it sure is. If that’s the case, there’s really no reason to have a security system in place.”
“On the contrary, if there is a booby trap, it will be suspicious. Si-Eun is smart. S-class hunter, indeed!”
Jeong-Hoon understood Si-Eun’s words while So-Hyun agreed. Jeong-Hoon, who felt a sense of accomplishment in the situation, felt uncomfortable and looked back on his vassals, including Butler Joo.
“You’ve guessed, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason why this passage is so long.”
When Jeong-Hoon, who looked at them with a proud gaze, asks Butler Joo, Ko Yu-Yeon, and Woo Do-il hurriedly turn their heads and look away.
Convinced because of such behavior, Jeong-Hoon shook his head.
“Well, how could you not know?”
Hunter’s rating is not obtained through this criteria, but there are two SS classes and one SSS class.
They might have known just by their instinct while walking through the passage.
Perhaps they already know the secret of the dungeon, which has been left untouched for a long time.
“It’s all for the sake of the Lord.”
Jeong-Hoon, wondering if this has anything to do with his growth as a head of state, nodded as he saw Si-Eun and So-Hyun having a conversation.
Rather than having the vassals intervene to solve the problem, since they are with So-Hyun they need to reconsider it.
“I’ll get up slowly, but how long is this passage?”
When he got up from his seat and asked the question, the Butler Joo looked at Jeong-Hoon and answered. “Just another 30 minutes to go.”
“You mean 30 minutes at my pace?”
When Jeong-Hoon, who noticed the intention of the gaze, even if words were omitted, shook his head, Butler Joo smiled again.
***
When they reached the end of the passage, what they saw was a large rock.
“Is this the end?”
When Jeong-Hoon was discouraged by the fact that he had come to the end of the passage and what he saw was a huge rock, Butler Joo shook his head and stepped forward.
“How could that be? It’s just blocking the entrance.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Butler Joo touched the rock lightly, and the rock was pushed out so easily that it looked weightless.
Jeong-Hoon, who came out of the passage where the rock had been pushed out, saw a cavity with a bed, emergency food, and household items, and nodded that he was sure this was a hiding place.
“It’s not a loose fake, is it?”
Jeong-Hoon grumbles while looking at the rock, but So-Hyun is already approaching and tapping the rock.
“This is a real rock, Chairman Lee.”
“I guess you were curious, too.”
“I wonder, how could you just push a rock like this? Director Joo, are you S-ranked?”
“Uh, sister, it’s rude to say that!”
“Huh? What are you talking about? What do you mean rude? Oh, no way!”
When S-class Si-Eun shook her head and stopped her, So-Hyun read something when she saw her expression.
“Really? Really?”
“He is much stronger than me. Not only Director Joo, but also lawyer Ko Yu-Yeon and Dr. Woo Do-il.”
So-Hyun, who vaguely only knew the three people as awakeners, suddenly became dumbfounded by Si-Eun’s words.
As long as S-class Si-Eun says they are stronger than herself, S-class is certainly a guarantee.
However, there was only one reason why she said it was rude to be called an S-class.
“SS level?”
Butler Joo and the two men, answered with a nod to So-Hyun’s astonishment, stood quietly as if they were escorting Jeong-Hoon.
The direction of the three men’s eyes was another passage leading into the dungeon.
“There’s something.”
In response to the sudden change of attitude, everyone quickly aimed their guns in the direction the three people’s eyes were facing.
It was a quick change of posture, but no one panicked. It was just that the reaction of the non-awakened Jeong-Hoon was subtly lagging behind.
Alertness is essential because an unexpected situation can occur at any time in a dungeon.
The quick response now is proof that everyone was keeping a moderate amount of tension while exchanging jokes.
“Something is coming. 2 people. Humans. They’re in a very weak state, so all you have to do is keep the muzzle without suppressing fire.”
Two skinny men stumble from the inside of the passage and walk out of the way while maintaining tension so that everyone can shoot at any time, following the instructions of the Butler Joo.
“Ugh
sa, save me
”
With their throats completely dry, the two men walk in a sound of iron, but soon they fall down.
“Doctor, check it out.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Woo Do-il is the director of Myeongil Hospital and the world’s best hunter specialist.
Jeong-Hoon asked Woo Do-il because he was the right person to come forward.
A faint light rose from Woo Do-il’s hand as he approached the two dried up people.
The light wrapped around them once and then absorbed again by Woo Do-il’s hand, and Woo Do-il nodded and turned around.
“Well, I think I know what this place is like.”
“Uh, did something happen to those people?”
“Their life force is drained.”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on So-Hyun at the word ‘life force.’
As they entered the dungeon, their abilities rose. And now, a person whose vitality has been drained has been discovered.
It was inevitable that attention was focused on her since the symptoms are very similar to Hunter’s disease.
“I don’t care, so you can tell me.”
When So-Hyun, who noticed that everyone was looking at her, calmly said, Woo Do-il nodded.
“This is not a dungeon. It is a buffer zone created by the collapse of the barrier. So, the ability is strengthened, but the life force is also absorbed.”
“Tell me more about it.”
“It’s Lumen’s secret. Is that okay?”
“
 I give you permission.”
It is a family secret that Jeong-Hoon was reluctant to share, but it is information necessary to solve the current situation.
Therefore, Jeong-Hoon deliberately asked for information by speaking overbearingly.
“As you know, monsters have existed since ancient times. The myths and legends recorded in the world are proof of this. But the monsters have disappeared from the world since some time ago. To be exact, it is isolated, or sealed, elsewhere in the world.”
Knowing that Jeong-Hoon knew nothing, Woo Do-il explained the basics first, and Jeong-Hoon vaguely realized what the family was doing.
The family has known the truth of monsters that are not yet known to the world and has protected the seal.
“And the seal is being maintained as a kind of barrier, and as a result of the great shock in that barrier, monsters have reappeared in the world. However, it was a big shock and not a collapse, so the barrier is trying to return to its original state.”
“Then, in the process of returning to its original state, does it absorb human vitality?”
When Si-Eun nodded as if she understood and asked, Woo Do-il nodded willingly.
“Exactly. One’s ability increases because this is the breaking point of the barrier, so the seals on people are also released.”
“Now, wait a minute, sir! People have seals, too? Not just monsters?”
So-Hyun was startled by the word seal, but the vassals, including Woo Do-il, responded by simply nodding their heads.
“Awakening is actually all about humans being able to do what was originally possible, which means that the Awoken are able to realize their abilities more quickly because they’re more talented than others.”
This is another secret, so while Woo Do-il was agonizing over it, Butler Joo stepped in and explained it instead.
Woo Do-il and Ko Yu-Yeon were astonished by the actions of Butler Joo, but he has an attitude that it does not matter because he has the permission of the family owner, Jeong-Hoon.
“I am glad that the Chairman is here. Restoring the barrier is something only the chairman can do, isn’t it?”
Jeong-Hoon shook his head from side to side at the tone of Butler Joo who said that he knew from the beginning.
“What do you mean? I am an unawakened person?”
“Now that the situation is like this, you can stop acting. The two of you will protect the fact that he is the only person in the world who can repair and maintain the boundaries.”
Butler Joo quietly raises his aura and secretly pressures So-Hyun and Si-Eun.
But Jeong-Hoon didn’t care about it.
He was quite shocked as he didn’t know that it was possible to do so since he was not an awakener.