Midterms ended. I had no classes on Fridays, so Thursday was the last day of my midterms. It was also the class I happened to share with Su Ye-Eun.
I vaguely thought sheâd hit me up to go eat fries again. Since I started having classes with Su Ye-Eun, I started avoiding food with potatoes.
âLetâs celebrate the end of midterms with beer and fries!â
âI expected nothing less.â
âLetâs go, Shin!â
âHow did the test go?â
âKyaaaak!â
Su Ye-Eun answered my question with a scream. How did this girl get into college?
âSomething always happens when I eat fries with this girlâŚâ
When the communication channel opened last time, I was almost scared out of my wits. It was almost like it happened because I went to eat fries with her. In a displeased tone, I asked Su Ye-Eun.
âDonât you have any friends other than me? Anyone you have classes with?â
âN-No one talks to me.â
âThen stop always wearing your hoody.â
With the hoody covering her face, Su Ye-Eunâs presence disappeared completely. I almost thought it was some passive skill. With her pretty face, people would be all over her if she just dressed up a littleâŚ
âI hate getting attention.â
âYou really have a tiresome personality.â
âItâs fine, I have you.â
ââŚâ
For a moment, I saw tentacles with suction cups stretching out from her body and wrapping around me. Was I caught in a trap? By this zero social skills, zero presence, monsterphobia, potato witch?
âCome on, letâs go!â
âYeah, yeah, Iâm coming.â
They said words sowed seeds. I didnât believe in it, but I decided to believe it from today. When I was taking a breath after ordering a beer and fries, the TV on the wall was showing a strange place.
It was suspicious. I began to hate this shop famous for its fries.
[Breaking news. At a shopping mall in Seoulâs Yeongdeungpo District, a black pillar of light suddenly shot up to the sky. This phenomenon which was first seen two minutes ago is also being observed in other countriesâ main citiesâŚ]
On TV, I saw a shopping mall I visited in the past totally enveloped by black light. As if that wasnât enough, the black light was shooting up into the sky, forming a pillar visible from quite a distance away. There were also images from major cities in other countries. Japanâs Osaka, Americaâs New York, Chinaâs Beijing, Britainâs London, etc. They were all large cities with huge population densities.
[Experts consider this phenomenon as a continuation of Two Moon, and have advised governments to dispatch Guardian to affected areas. According to Article 7 Section 1 of New Moon Act, the government has begun to evacuate all Yeongdeungpo District residents and has dispatched Guardianâs Special Forces.]
New Moon Act. It was a law created after Two Moon to deal with monsters and monster-related work. It outlined the governmentâs response when a monster-related disaster occurred. For example, the code of conduct, safety measures for citizens, and federal assistance for any material damage received.
Although it had many faults and led to endless protests, it was still convenient in times of crisis like this.
âS-Scary⌠Right?â
âHmm. I wonder what it is.â
Black light. Major cities.
Just looking at them through the TV screen, I could feel the ominous aura emanating from them. However, I knew what those lights were. That was the feeling I had.
âDungeons.â
âShin, did you say something?â
âHm? Did I say something?â
Su Ye-Eun looked at me like I was acting strangely.
âDidnât you just say something about pancakes1? I like pancakes too.â
âPancakes? What pancakes? Iâm not in the mood to eat. In fact, I think I have to go to the⌠dungeon.â
âHm?â
âDungeon!â
I shouted out loud. As if in response, the black light shooting up from the shopping mall subsided and revealed the buildingâs appearance. No, it was wrong to say it was a building. It was a whirlpool of black smoke emanating an ominous aura. It was just like teleportation portals in games!
At the same time, I heard message noonaâs voice in my head. Sheâd been making a lot of business trips recently.
[Event Dungeons have been created on Earth! When cleared, you can obtain various rewards such as stat points or skill points!]
All Awakened on Earth likely thought this: Itâs finally here.
All dungeon explorers on Earth likely thought this: Those are Event Dungeons!?
I quickly opened the communication channel. Sure enough, Mastiford was chatting away in it.
[You all heard it right? Those are Event Dungeons!]
[Unni, youâre going to go?]
[Of course! You should come with me, Sumire!]
[B-ButâŚ]
[If you die in an Event Dungeon, arenât you dead for real?]
At Edward Walkerâs words, the two girls became quiet. I was thinking the same thing, even if it was something I did not really want to admit.
This world was different from the dungeon. We were not given second chances.
As such, adventuring had a danger incomparable to losing a weekâs worth of time.
[These Event Dungeons are dangerous. I can smell it. The sweeter the reward, the more lethal the poison they bear.]
[Then are you just going to leave them be? The rewards will disappear if other Awakened clear them. Are you that much of a scaredy-cat? How can you call yourself a British citizen?]
[Shut it, Mastiford. I donât see what thatâs got to do with it. Me being British has nothing to do with acting like a fool who doesnât know fear.]
Well said, Mister Walker!
[The dungeons weâve been going to until now were like games. There was no risk involved. Although being hit by monsters may have hurt, you were guaranteed your lives. And when you won, you were guaranteed rewards. But not now. Itâs a gamble with your life on the line. No matter how sweet the reward seems, itâs not worth it.]
[Ho, youâre more prudent than I imagined, or should I say cowardly? Shouldnât a man charge in no matter how dangerous it is and come out victorious!?]
Father, who had fought against a tiger barehanded and won, had the right to say that. That said, I wonât forgive him for making me fight one when I was only 13 years old! Even if I won in the end!
[Hmph, are you saying youâll go into those dungeons?]
[Think about it. Iâm not active yet as an ability user. If I go into a dungeon, I would be advertising to the whole world that Iâm an ability user.]
[So you were just talk after all.]
[⌠You, do you want to make a trip to Korea? Iâll welcome you wholeheartedly. With my spear, that is.]
Father⌠I felt I needed to interfere before father started fighting Walker. I also needed to point out something everyone was missing.
[Sorry everyone, but before we talk about the benefits we can gain as dungeon explorers, thereâs something important we need to address.]
[Ah, Yeon Hwawoo! Great! Why did you ignore me until now!? Iâve been calling you for a while!]
[Hm? I had the communication channel turned off, why?]
[Ugggaaaah! How annoying!]
I ignored Mastifordâs screaming and continued.
[You guys know what happens when you clear an Event Dungeon, right?]
[I havenât entered one before, but Iâve heard about it.]
[Ah, Iâve cleared it before. Huhu, twice in fact! And for one of them, an Event Raid hap⌠Ah!]
Mastiford who was excitedly bragging cried out in shock. It seemed everyone had an idea what I was trying to say.
[The Event Raid⌠Youâre right.]
[Thatâs right. I remember now.]
Eh? Father, youâre on the 21st floor now!? I didnât think heâd catch up to me so quickly. Though, as I was completely into raising my stats through the Muscle Strengthening Elixir, I didnât pay much attention to leveling up.
[Thatâs right. If we rashly clear one, a raid boss might appear and make the situation worse. We need to come up with a solution before we do anything.]
[Hmm, but even if we donât do anything, wouldnât the Awakened be dispatched?]
[Thatâs true⌠Mastiford, didnât you brag about being a SS-rank ability user with public trust? This is your opportunity to shine. Send the world a warning.]
[Mmm, Iâll try. Iâll try but⌠I donât really have much power, you know? Britain has another SS-rank ability user so my words wonât have much weight. Plus, Korea isnât a powerful country. This is exactly why I wanted to create an organization of dungeon explorers!]
[Miss Mastiford, Iâm saying you should use your personal authority as a SS-rank ability user. Donât you understand the weight your words carry? Donât talk to the government, talk to the mass media! You can even hold a press conference if you want. We need to prepare the entire world, whether we clear the dungeon or not!]
[E-Even if you suddenly compliment me, I canât do anything! Hmph!]
[UnniâŚ]
As I was chatting in the communication channel, I naturally had my hand over my mouth. Su Ye-Eun, who had three fries sticking out of her mouth, was staring at me like I was the weird one. I ignored her gaze and turned to the TV. There, I saw a letter written on top of the Dungeon Gate. It was undoubtedly the letter âAâ!
[Mister Walker, if you knew what difficulty the Event Dungeon you had to enter was, what would you do?]
[I would still hesitate. That said, given that I have some information about the dungeon, I could prepare myself to challenge it. Compared to the huge danger I would have to eventually face, overcoming the current smaller danger would have some merit.]
[Good. Koreaâs Event Dungeon Gate has the letter âAâ above it. I think this is like the rank that classifies ability users. How about other countries?]
At my words, everyone became quiet. Sumire was the first to respond.
[Itâs true! Osaka Castleâs Gate says B+!]
[The entire Osaka Castle disappeared!? I wanted to go see it eventually!]
[Thatâs not important right now, Miss Mastiford!]
[Hey, you stop picking faults at whatever I say. Iâm at my momâs house right now, so I can only see Yeungdeungpoâs Gate! Iâm a Yeundeungpo resident too!]
âLike I care! Turn on your TV and look at the other countries! Iâm in a place where I canât even change the TV channel!â I growled at her in my head.
[I confirmed it. Britainâs Event Dungeon says A+. It seems Americaâs Event Dungeon is S.]
[Hm. France has B, China has C. Although China has the lowest difficulty, five Event Dungeons appeared there. 3 Cs and 2 C+s.]
If the alphabet above the Gates were really based on ability usersâ rankings like I thought, wouldnât a single S-rank ability user be enough to clear a S-rank dungeon? Wasnât solo play the standard for all dungeons?
[Huu, this is hard. If you consider a 10-man party as the standard⌠No, since you canât quit and come out like in the dungeons we go to, weâll have to consider at least 20 people for taking shifts. Since they donât have inventories like us, weâll need to add 5 more people to carry daily necessities. Thatâs 25. Even if porters can be low-rank ability users, wouldnât Americaâs S-rank dungeon need 20 S-rank ability users? Thatâll be difficult.]
[Thereâs a possibility that only 10 people can enter a dungeon. In that case, weâll need ability users with higher ranks than the dungeon itself.]
I decided to stay quiet. Although I was also a dungeon explorer, the amount of common sense knowledge I knew seemed light years apart from theirs. Not to mention, not all ability users on Earth were dungeon explorers.
[Plus, if an S-rank raid boss appears, weâll need at least 100 to 300 people to come out victorious. Thatâll be a disaster among disasters.]
[Now that you put it that way, Yeungdeungpoâs boss would be A-rank tooâŚ]
Mastiford seemed to be immersed in her thoughts, when she suddenly said,
[Everyone, I need your help. My momâs feeling uneasy. I want to get rid of the dungeon quickly and calm her down. Help me beat this dungeon. As a magician, although I have strong firepower, Iâll be taken out if I leave any openings. I canât do it alone.]
⌠Just like I thought from the beginning, she was honest. People usually found it hard to acknowledge their weaknesses. For someone like Mastiford who seemed like a blob of self-esteem, I didnât think she would so easily admit her weakness. Right now, she not only revealed it, but she was also asking for help. It meant she knew her weaknesses just as much as her strengths. I began to see her in a more favorable light.
Plus, I knew she really liked her mother.
[I refuse. Thereâs no reason for me to put myself at risk.]
Edward Walker was the first to answer. In a way, it was the logical answer. On the other hand, Minamiâs answer was the complete opposite of Walkerâs.
[Iâll help, unni. Iâll fly to Korea right now! I have confidence in my defense, so I can withstand most attacks!]
[Sumire! Thank you, I love you!]
That girl was still too kind. She should really think things through a bit more.
[Miss Minami, Iâm not trying to be condescending, but I donât think a explorer on the 18th floor can take on an A-rank monster.]
[Y-Youâre right, but I have confidence in my defense! I can even take a Floor Masterâs attack head on!]
[Really?]
This young lady was certainly not normal. Climbing 18 floors in 2 years, plus⌠Eh? 2 years? There were 5 dungeon explorers right now, and there were 5 dungeon explorers when I became one 5 years ago⌠A question emerged in my mind. But now was not the time to ask. I reluctantly put it away in the back of my mind.
[Miss Mastiford, what are our plans if a raid boss appears when we clear the dungeon?]
[Donât worry. I have an SS-rank firepower. If Iâm properly protected, I can deal with an A-rank raid boss by myself.]
With that, I made my decision.
[Iâll participate too. Although I might be lacking, I can at least protect Miss Mastiford.]
[W-Whatâs up with you suddenly? What are you scheming? Is it the stats? Is that what youâre aiming for?]
[That one thing. More importantly, Iâm confident I wonât die in an A-rank dungeon. Plus, if someone can guarantee to kill the raid boss without suffering losses, it would only be proper to lend a hand to the person capable of doing it.]
Objectively, I assessed my ability to be about B+ rank. Of course, that was only taking Peikaâs ability into account. Adding on my physical strength and techniques, plus my abilities as a dungeon explorer⌠I was probably A-rank. Even without my spear that is.
[Hmph! Even if you change your mind now, I wonât put you in our organization!]
[I donât want to go in your organization, you witch.]
[W-Witch!?]
[Iâll cooperate too. Since my so⌠I mean, since Yeon Hwawoo is cooperating, itâs only proper as a fellow Korean to join in.]
âJust say the word son, father!â I complained in my head. That said, father seemed to be worried about sending his son to such a dangerous place alone as he also joined in.
But do dungeon explorers have to be the ones to go?
[Miss Mastiford, youâre a SS-rank ability user. Why canât you just bring other ability users instead?]
[What other ability users? Do you think people would choose to barge into a suspicious and dangerous place like that without receiving any rewards?]
[An SS-rank ability userâs name doesnât even have that much weight?]
After hearing what I said, Mastiford let out a deep sigh.
[You see, British Guardians are busy with the Gate that appeared in London. Korean Guardians would be all over me, but Iâm afraid of the aftermath.]
[Aftermath? Ah.]
The scene of Mastiford entering Koreaâs Gate with other Korean ability users would be the perfect advertisement for the proud Korean image the government was trying to sell. Once I understood, I nodded my head instinctively.
[Even though weâre doing a good thing, we have to sneak into the Gate. Do you understand, Yeon Hwawoo?]
[Yeah, I got it. You have it rough, Miss Mastiford.]
[Thanks for noti⌠wait, why am I talking so friendly with you!?]
Mastiford suddenly yelled after talking well for a while. Reaffirming that this woman wasnât normal, I shook my head. At the same time, Mastiford put the conversation to rest.
[Then weâll gather in front of that shopping mall in two hours!]
[Thatâs too fast! Miss Minami has to fly over from Japan! I know you want to take care of the dungeon as fast as possible, but calm down.]
[Ah, youâre right⌠Then 2 oâclock tomorrow afternoon.]
[Fine.]
[Got it, unni!]
[Thatâs fine with me.]
[Ho? The four of you are gathering? Yeon Hwawoo, I thought youâd be different⌠well, good luck.]
With that, Walker went silent. It seems he turned off the communication channel.
[Iâm off too. Iâll be there on time so donât worry.]
[W-Whoâd worry for you!? Ah, wait, youâre about to turn the communication channel off, right? Donâtâ!]
I turned it off. Letting out all the tension I built up with a sigh, I gulped down on lukewarm beer in front of me. At the same time, I caught sight of Su Ye-Eun staring at me strangely.
âWhatâs wrong, Shin? You seem to be trembling.â
âIâm just nervous. It looks like Iâll be doing something dangerous.â
I stared at the Gate on TV. A whirlpool of grey smoke. Although Mastiford didnât say much about it, I still had a lot on my mind.
It was different from the dungeon.
If I died, that was it.
Wouldnât they be fine even without me?
âTsk. I canât turn tail in front of just this much danger.â
It had been a while since I thought about it, but I remembered.
The superhero I dreamt of becoming when I was a little kid was not a coward. From the dungeon, I learned that a coward cannot get stronger. If everything ended when I died, I just had to not die.
What was the reason I raised my strength in the dungeon? Before monsters began appearing on Earth, it was to see just how far I could go. I also wanted to know what was at the end of the dungeon. That was the same even now when monsters began appearing on Earth.
Until now, I ignored Earthâs monsters because I could not gain skills or level up from hunting them.
It was different now. If that dungeonâs difficulty really was based on A-rank ability users, then it was worth taking it on with my current strength. If things went badly with that dungeon, there was the possibility that ordinary people, not ability users, would die. Just like when the second moon first rose in the skies.
âThough, I only said Iâd go because I was confident I wouldnât die.â
âD-Die? Itâs that dangerous?â
âLike I said, I wonât die.â
I wasnât a saint. I had no plans to throw my life away for someone I didnât even know. But Yeungdeungpo wasnât that far from here. If a raid boss appeared, it was possible that someone I cared about would get hurt. I had to prevent that at all costs.
⌠Most importantly, there were rewards in that dungeon. Although it was only temporary, I had an SS-rank ability user in my party! It would be hard to find another opportunity to leech rewards so easily! Whoops, my real intentions were leaking.
âHuhu, huhuhu.â
âD-Donât suddenly laugh. Itâs scaryâŚâ
âAh, the world is vast and there are truly lots of things to grind.â
Iâll get stronger! Overcoming danger and getting stronger from it is what excites people! Thinking that, I tightly clenched my fists. Although I sneered at fatherâs simple personality, I had yet to realize I was just like him in the most crucial area.
âI should really take you to the doctor⌠Uuu, Iâm worried.â
âYou mind your own business!â
1. The âgeonâ in dungeon sounds like the word for pancake