âYes, we desperately need your help, Mr. Kang Sung Joon. Excuse me, but where are you now?â asked Hyun Sung.
âI just finished a dungeon solo run a little bit ago, so Iâm on my way to the Dungeon Bureau right now. But whatâs the matter?â Sung Joon inquired.
âItâs something related to the dungeons. The second party that went in to rescue the first hasnât come out for a week. Thatâs why we need a Hunter who can investigate and clear the dungeon!â
âIsnât it commonplace for a party not to return from a dungeon? I donât think you should be so hasty.â
It was just a minor issue in his opinion. Thatâs why he couldnât understand why Hyun Sung was being so impatient.
âThe phone isnât secure so I canât tell you everything, but I can tell you one thing⌠the situation is a lot more serious than you think.â
âWhat exactly is happening?â
âItâs a completely new type of dungeon that hasnât appeared before. If you help us, you wonât be rewarded by the Bureau, but by the nation,â promised Hyun Sung.
After listening to Hyun Sung, Sung Joon understood the severity of the situation.
If the country would reward him for his efforts, that meant that the issue was large enough for the government to keep an eye on.
In general, most of the issues regarding the dungeons were handled by the two Bureaus (the Dungeon Bureau and the Hunter Bureau). The government intervening or handing out a reward was rare.
âAre you certain that there will be a reward?â Sung Joon asked.
If there was a reward, he wouldnât have a reason not to help them.
âSince itâs a really serious situation, thereâll be an equally large reward to compensate you. Letâs talk about it in further detail at the Bureau.â
It seemed that he was busy since Hyun Sung didnât want the call to drag on for very long. As he had heard the urgency in his voice, Sung Joon gladly ended the call.
Sung Joon sold the magic stones that he had gotten from his B-rank solo run at the Dungeon Bureau, procuring $400,000. He had some trouble with the dungeon since he had soloed it, but since he didnât have to split his share, naturally, he smiled.
âMr. Kang Sung Joon?â
An glasses-wearing woman approached him. She wore a nametag around her neck which indicated that she was a Hunter Bureau worker.
Sung Joon asked, âDid the Team Leader send you?â
âYes, allow me to guide you to the conference room,â she replied.
The woman and Sung Joon arrived on the floor with the conference rooms. Eventually, Hyun Sung came out of one of the conference rooms with a grave expression, and the woman that guided Sung Joon left with his consent.
âMr. Kang Sung Joon!â
As soon as Hyun Sung discovered Sung Joon, he ran towards him.
âPlease, letâs go inside. Iâll explain everything to you,â he said.
There was one worker inside the conference room. It was a face heâd seen a few times when heâd gone to Hyun Sungâs office.
Sung Joon and Hyun Sung went into the conference room, and the worker bowed their head and left.
Sung Joon sat in an unoccupied chair and began.
âPlease explain the situation to me. You said it was a new type of dungeon⌠What are you talking about?â he asked.
âItâs just as I said. Itâs a dungeon that has completely different features compared to the other pre-existing dungeons. The Dungeon Bureau hadnât properly grasped the situation, so they proceeded with the matching and a party of five A-rank Hunters entered the dungeon. However, they havenât returned yet.â
âWhatâs the difficulty level?â
âThe Dungeon Bureau has designated it as an A-rank dungeon, but we might have to adjust the rating up.â
âAre you saying itâs at least A-rank? Itâs commonplace for a party of Hunters that are the same rank as the dungeon to be annihilated.â
The dungeons were always accompanied by a certain level of danger. Even if they werenât faced with an Elite Dungeon, it was commonplace for Hunters who challenged a dungeon that shared ranks with them to not return. (*e.g. A-rank Hunters often die in A-rank dungeons, B-rank Hunters often die in B-rank dungeons, etc. The author mentioned before that most Hunters donât challenge dungeons of the same rank. Instead, B-rank Hunters will usually go through C-rank dungeons, etc.)
âWeâve sent our own regular assault team, âSpearâ, into the dungeon, but they didnât come out, just like the first party.â
âIsnât an S-rank Hunter part of the âSpearâ? But youâre saying that he didnât return from an A-rank dungeon?â Sung Joon asked.
Hyun Sung nodded with a burdened expression.
âKoreaâs fifteenth ranked, Mr. Yang Dong Jin, as well as his team, went in a week ago, but hasnât returned.â
If they hadnât returned in a week, there was a high likelihood that they had all perished.
âWeâve also requested the assistance of the thirteenth rank, Ms. Choi Eun Joo, the team leader of her own regular assault team, âDikeâ*. If you approve, youâll move together with them.â (*I assume that theyâre named after Dike, the Greek goddess of justice and order.)
âItâs not even a Raid, so may I ask why youâre moving so hastily?â Sung Joon questioned.
Hyun Sung examined his surroundings once before speaking.
âThe Bureau believes that this dungeon is more dangerous than a Raid. We have to go and assault the dungeon immediately.â
âWhat kind of dungeon could it be thatâŚâ
âEven now as we speak, the dungeon is expanding and eroding the surrounding landscape. The Bureau has determined that monsters may spill out of the dungeon, similar to that of a Raid,â Hyun Sung explained.
Sung Joon was completely shocked.
Did he say a dungeon was expanding and eroding its surroundings?
Now he could understand why Hyun Sung and the Bureau were moving so hastily.
Even if they failed at clearing the pre-existing dungeons, the dungeons would just passively remain, so they werenât very dangerous compared to the Raids. However, if the Bureau and Hyun Sungâs analysis was to be believed, the âEroding Dungeonâ was just as threatening as a Raid.
âWouldnât it be better to call higher ranked S-rank Hunters?â Sung Joon asked.
Hyun Sung shook his head and said, âThe only S-rank Hunter we can call to attack the dungeon right now is Dikeâs Choi Eun Joo.â
Due to the mana within the dungeon, communication equipment was useless. Therefore, if an S-rank Hunter was in the midst of clearing a dungeon, they wouldnât be able to contact them.
Also, most S-rank Hunters acted as they pleased, so there were several instances where they werenât even in Seoul.
âThe rate of erosion is high. You must leave as soon as team âDikeâ arrives.â
âIs there a reason that you specifically called for me?â
âExcluding âDikeâ, amongst the Hunters we can call, you are the highest rated, as well as having superb skills, so we decided on you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon.
Although the Bureau had some A-rank Hunters, there were quite a few that they couldnât immediately mobilize.
âWhen did âDikeâ say they would arrive?â queried Sung Joon.
âTheyâll be here soon.â
âPlease tell them to hurry. I donât have much free time,â Sung Joon said.
Hyun Sung nodded his head.
* * *
Team âDikeâ, led by Choi Eun Joo, arrived.
Hyun Sung had said that he had recommended Sung Joon for his superb skills. They went through a quick briefing, and then Sung Joon and the team arrived at the entrance of the dungeon. It was then that Sung Joon realized why he specifically had been sent.
Team Dike hadnât brought a Healer with them.
Dike was supposed to be on vacation right now, based on a Dike memberâs explanation. Their Healer hadnât had a vacation in a very long time, so to commemorate the occasion, their Healer had travelled to America. Dike had accepted on the condition that the Hunter Bureau send them a veteran Healer.
âMr. Kang Sung Joon?â
Dikeâs Team Leader walked towards him.
Sung Joon turned his head towards the voice and took in her appearance. Her bobbed hair blew in the wind. She had beautiful eyes and her features reminded him of a cute puppy.
Rishubalt narrowed his eyes, examined Eun Joo, and then spoke.
âPerhaps itâs because sheâs an S-rank Hunter, but I can sense a tremendous mana from her.â
Sung Joon nodded his head, wordlessly agreeing with Rishubalt. There were a lot of people watching, so if he said anything, people might think he was strange.
âIs something the matter?â Sung Joon asked.
Eun Joo spoke with a calm expression.
âYou remember everything that they said in the briefing room, right?â
Eun Joo had briefly explained Dikeâs attacking method to Sung Joon in the briefing room.
âOf course.â
âThere honestly isnât much that a Healer Hunter needs to be aware of,â Eun Joo said. (*Sheâs not being condescending; sheâs just saying that there was more relevant information for other people in the meeting and assumes a Healer knows their job.)
Sung Joon nodded his head. It was different for the Combat Hunters who had to work together; Healers didnât really have to worry about much.
âThere wonât be much to worry about, so donât get too tied down by the rules, and please just focus on healing.â
âI understand.â
The Dike team members gathered, but Eun Joo didnât open the dungeon doors. The Hunter Bureau had dispatched a worker to investigate, so they were waiting on him.
Eventually, a van arrived at the entrance of the dungeon. Hyun Sung and two investigators, as well as one escorting Hunter, got off the van.
Hyun Sung and the two investigators wore body armor and were armed with handguns. He didnât know about the body armor, but Sung Joon knew that the pistols would be of no help. However, it seemed that they carried the pistol for some peace of mind.
âHeâs an A-rank Hunter. Although heâs classified as such, it seems heâs around the low-tier level.â
While Sung Joon and Hyun Sung greeted each other, Rishubalt grasped the Hunterâs level.
Even if he excluded Hyun Sung, the two investigators, and the escorting A-rank Hunter, they were still sending ten A-rank Hunters, as well as an S-rank Hunter to assault a single dungeon. He thought it was excessive. However, since the two prior parties had been annihilated, the Bureau had no choice but to tread with caution.
âIâll perform a final check on our equipment,â said a party member.
An A-rank dungeon was vast. Also, the dungeon they were going to attack was eroding the surrounding landscape, so it was a lot larger than a normal A-rank dungeon.
Thus, they had to thoroughly check their equipment and supplies.
âWeâre done checking!â said another party member.
âFine. Please get in position,â Eun Joo said.
The Hunters got into their respective positions. Sung Joon easily found his position since he had been shown it beforehand. Dikeâs Supporter Hunter and the Bureauâs survey party were placed in the rear with Sung Joon.
âMr. Kang Sung Joon, please take care of me,â said Hyun Sung as he walked beside Sung Joon.
Hyun Sung was trying his best to smile, but Sung Joon could tell that he was clearly anxious. The Bureau had never sent investigators into a dungeon to ascertain the dungeonâs rank, so even the inspectors couldnât help but be uneasy.
In order to put him at ease, Sung Joon wore a calm expression as he spoke.
âIf you just stick next to me, youâll be safe. But Iâve never seen those two investigators before.â
âAh⌠Theyâre investigators dispatched by the Dungeon Bureau. The two Bureaus have decided to work together on this investigation, due to how unusual it is,â Hyun Sung explained.
Since the Dungeon Bureau had the most amount of manpower, they were responsible for investigating the dungeons. However, since the Hunter Bureau also had investigators, when there was an important matter involved, the two Bureaus would perform a joint investigation.
âIâll open the door,â Eun Joo said.
Eun Joo opened the door, revealing narrow stairway that led underground. Ten Light Drones illuminated the darkness and the party slowly went underground.
There was another door underground.
âPlease open the door.â
A different Hunter opened the genuine entrance to the dungeon.
âEnemies!â someone warned sharply as soon as the door opened.
A barrage of several dozens of ice shards flew towards the party.
Eun Joo drew the greatsword that had been on her back and raised it. The brilliant sword gleamed with a white aura.
Swinging her greatsword, she shattered all the ice shards in the air with a single blow.
âAre there around thirty of them?â
Sung Joon felt their presences via their mana, and grasped the number of ambushing monsters. As the party advanced, the Light Drones illuminated their surroundings, revealing the spirits that had laid in the darkness.
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âThere are thirty-one enemies! There are Ice Crossbowmen and Cold Mages, as well as some Gale Knights mixed in!â Sung Joon predicted precisely.
âA-rank monsters from the start?â someone griped.
Ice Crossbowmen were B-rank monsters, but Cold Mages and Gale Knights were A-rank. There were only ten Ice Crossbowmen and the rest were Cold Mages and Gale Knights.
This many A-rank monsters showing up from the start was a bad sign.