NOVEL NEXT Chapter 31
The incident began with a special trap encountered during a recently held government-supported Hunter Education Program, witnessed inside a dungeon.
“Yes. I don’t know the principle behind it, but there was definitely a restriction on entering the boss room.”
Coincidentally, a D4 Rank Dungeon was cleared with the cooperation of the Special Rank Rookies who were completing the program at that time.
The occurrence during that process was an anomaly rarely seen before, leading experts from various countries to continue their discussions on the topic.
“Whatever it may be, this precedent is important. Once something happens, it can happen again, right?”
“If such restrictions can exist, we cannot deny the possibility of dungeons emerging with even more malicious constraints.”
“…So, the dungeons are evolving.”
Sadly, the predictions of those experts soon became a reality.
“I… I need you to clarify the situation a bit more…”
[Dammit! What more do you need? Two members of our party are trapped inside the dungeon! For some reason, the other party members can’t enter! Time is of the essence!]
These individuals were attempting to challenge a C3 Rank Medium Dungeon with a six-member party.
According to their testimonies, after the two C Rank Hunters at the front entered the dungeon, the entry of the remaining four was restricted.
In the end, it meant that two members of the party were helplessly stuck inside the dungeon.
[Please help us… They’re practically our youngest members. They don’t have much experience, and it’s going to be impossible for them to hold on for long.]
Thus, they immediately submitted a rescue request to the association.
And a rescue team was organized.
However, what followed was utterly unexpected.
Thud.
Bang!
“Uh-oh?”
“Team Leader! We can’t get in either!”
For some reason, the C Rank and B Rank Hunters formed into the rescue team found it impossible to enter the dungeon.
“…What on earth is going on?”
They needed to understand the conditions for entering the dungeon.
Calmly laying out the information, they arrived at one possibility.
“Both of the Hunters currently isolated in the dungeon had relatively low levels.”
“Levels 18 and 20; no one among the party or the rescue team has a lower level.”
In other words, the restriction placed on that dungeon was likely related to their levels.
The rescue team sought cooperation to confirm this hypothesis and managed to prove it true.
“Yes, we confirmed that body parts can pass through!”
“What are their levels?”
“One is level 17, and the other is level 20!”
Following several rounds of verification for more details, they finally uncovered the definitive condition.
“It’s a dungeon that only Hunters below level 20 can enter!”
No one dispatched in the rescue team met that condition.
As a result, silence enveloped the scene.
#
Three weeks had passed since clearing the C5 Rank Dungeon and burying Johan of the Styx Guild underground.
For that rather long time, I had not entered a dungeon once.
Now, Song Ha Yeon had become so restless it was disturbing.
Ding!
[Master, aren’t you going to the dungeon?]
Ding!
[The break has been pretty long now…]
Ding!
[Am I going to rotate with another team this week?]
[Do as you wish.]
Song Ha Yeon grumbled as she left the chat window, clearly dissatisfied.
Regardless, I continued to focus on my own tasks.
Ding!
[Do you have time?]
[Are you asking now?]
The message was directed at Kim Seung Min.
After inviting him over to my house, I had grown casual enough to drop formalities. Of course, only online.
And the reason for asking Kim Seung Min about his free time was simple.
“He’s definitely skilled…”
Kim Seung Min was a Challenger, after all.
Annoyingly, I had to admit that at the moment, he was undeniably a better talent than I was.
To sum it up, I was currently engrossed in learning from him about the game.
Ding!
[I’m sorry, but today might be tough. I might not be able to come for a while.]
[Why?]
[The association received an urgent request — the situation seems quite serious. Have you heard anything about it?]
“…I haven’t seen anything like that.”
Maybe I had let it slip past me without really paying attention. After all, I had routinely ignored messages unless they came from someone I was certain about.
Ding!
[Got it. Let me know if you come.]
[Yes. Understood.]
As I finished the conversation, a question struck me, and I tilted my head.
‘Do I really need to ask a C Rank like Kim Seung Min for help?’
Kim Seung Min had just recently ranked up to C Rank two days ago. Apparently, he was even lower in level than I was, having been out of touch for three weeks.
Yet, the association had dispatched an urgent request to someone like him — something didn’t seem ordinary.
“…Who knows.”
Clang.
[Starting the match!]
This wasn’t something I needed to worry about, so I just kept losing myself in the game.
#
Bang!
“What are we going to do about this situation?”
Three days ago, during a meeting regarding the special dungeon that had appeared in Yongsan, a middle-aged man slammed down on the table.
“That’s why I was opposed from the start! There were far too many uncertainties!”
“Indeed, it’s a retrospective statement, but the current situation cannot possibly be viewed as good.”
After the conditions for entering the dungeon had been revealed, the association gathered promising rookie Hunters below level 20 to form a rescue team.
“The public opinion is almost ready to tear us apart. If we’re not careful, it could turn into an irreversible situation.”
Thus, the eight-member rescue team dispatched into the special dungeon, despite receiving top-tier equipment and artifacts from the association, had not cleared the dungeon even three days after entering.
Regardless of being a C Rank high-difficulty dungeon, it was still just a medium-sized one.
Having no updates after three days meant they were practically guaranteed to have failed.
“Damn it, what on earth is inside that’s keeping our forces at bay?”
Everyone present shared that sentiment. Frankly, even those who opposed the formation of the rescue team had never anticipated a failure with that combination.
“…No matter what we say, there’s no way to gather spilled water back again.”
“Are you suggesting we come up with a new plan?”
“A plan? What else is there to be done? We have no choice but to sit tight and wait for a Break to happen.”
Certainly, if the rescue team formed with the maximum possible strength faced failure, there was no further course of action. Unless the dungeon monsters started crawling out into reality after the clear deadline passed, there was nothing left to intervene with.
“We’re already prepared for the Break. The issue is…”
“…The survival of the two initial missing Hunters and the eight Hunters who entered afterward, right?”
It was a harsh statement, but the initial missing Hunters were practically confirmed dead at this point.
However, the eight subsequent members still had a high probability of having survivors.
Among them were people like Kim Seung Min and Seo Yoon Ah, recognized as promising future stars.
Losing them would be a significant blow.
“Each of them is skilled, and with the equipment support, they likely wouldn’t have fallen easily.”
“However, if that’s the case, supplies are indeed a problem.”
From the start, they had entered the dungeon with the aim of clearing it. It was obvious there wouldn’t be enough supplies to last until the Break.
As the somber mood continued, a low voice broke the silence from the Hunter Association’s right-hand man, Seo In Jae.
“There might still be a way.”
“What do you mean by that?”
All the gazes in the room focused on Seo In Jae.
Enduring those gazes, Seo In Jae carefully continued.
“Isn’t there a Hunter who set a world record during the registration test? I heard she still hasn’t exceeded level 20.”
“That must mean…”
The atmosphere stirred at Seo In Jae’s words. Everyone knew who he was referring to.
“…The Returner.”
“Certainly, based on her accomplishments to date, it wouldn’t be wrong to say she’s already beyond C Rank standard.”
“Last time, when the first restrictions were discovered in the dungeon, she single-handedly defeated the boss as well.”
If all her claims were accurate, and she possessed skill levels exceeding her rank, she could certainly become a new game-changer.
Watching the reactions, Seo In Jae quietly proposed his plan.
“Of course, we wouldn’t deploy her with the main aim of clearing it. However, if we provide a bit of support, I believe her Undead can adequately transport the lacking supplies to the rescue team.”
“So, we’re suggesting that we bring supplies to join them and endure until the Break?”
That certainly made sense.
If the people dispatched in the rescue team were still alive inside the dungeon, it was a plan that could potentially be realized.
Yet, the risks were considerable too.
Even if it were just a possibility, the rescue team might have already perished, and the environment within could potentially be one where no one could survive for long.
With such doubts raised, Seo In Jae spoke again.
“The rescue team is still alive. And the two Hunters who were isolated as well.”
“…How do you know that?”
Seo In Jae calmly stood up and shared his device with everyone using the projector.
Whirring.
Whoosh.
“I just received contact.”
It was from Shin Yoo Ha, one of the three S Rank Hunters in Korea, known as a Mage.
“Her divination indicates that all Hunters are currently alive as of this moment.”
While she wasn’t exactly a prophet, she too had the unique ability of divination to grasp situations outside her awareness.
And her words suggested, in essence, that the rescue team had succeeded in joining forces with the two isolated individuals.
It would be nearly impossible for two Hunters under level 20 to survive for days in a C3 Rank Medium Dungeon.
In other words, that meant they had not given up and were still moving forward.
If all of them were still alive and hadn’t given up, then the association had no choice but to refrain from abandoning them.
“…”
It was the moment a new directive was established for the association.