Dungeon & Commander

Dungeon & Commander – 17

“Phew, don’t tell the other guild masters. The test will be conducted on the 7th of next month, roughly a month from now. It will be a large-scale test in the Dungeon Association’s simulation room, determining whether licenses are maintained, upgraded, or revoked.”

“License revocation?”

“Such measures will be taken if the results are the worst possible.”

“I see.”

“The chances of Uramata facing such a situation are slim. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come here.”

Go Chul-min felt somewhat relieved by Jo Gap-yoon’s smile.

Though Jo Gap-yoon was an ordinary bureaucrat with no chance of awakening, his ability to judge guilds was exceptional. His words couldn’t be ignored.

“Thank you, Mr. Jo.”

“Please prepare thoroughly and aim to upgrade your license with this test. See you tomorrow.”

Jo Gap-yoon stood up.

Go Chul-min shook his hand and escorted him out of the guild house.

He felt he now understood why the potted plant had broken. It was because of the upcoming test organized by the Dungeon Association.

Fortunately, knowing in advance meant they could prepare properly. He might even get some hints about the test content from Jo Gap-yoon, who was well-versed in the Dungeon Association’s internal affairs.

Go Chul-min opened his ledger.

====

***

====

The jogging path along the Han River.

A young woman with a sleek figure overtook him. Wearing earphones, she ran rhythmically.

Choi Moo-hyun panted as he tried to increase his speed, but the distance only grew.

His bull-like physique gave him overwhelming power but didn’t suit agility or speed. As a tanker, he was adequate, but Choi Moo-hyun wasn’t satisfied with just that.

Every morning, Yoo Min-jung ran beside Kim Joon. Or rather, Yoo Min-jung struggled to keep up with Kim Joon. Despite being overtaken by more than a lap each time, Yoo Min-jung never gave up and continued to chase Kim Joon.

Morning was the only time he could see Yoo Min-jung’s face filled with frustration.

Choi Moo-hyun wanted to run beside Yoo Min-jung, even if just a little. He hoped that the intense look she gave Kim Joon would also appear when she looked at him.

Of course, that never happened.

‘If I had known, I would have run consistently like Kim Joon.’

The jogging training ended in frustration.

His phone rang. It was his father. Choi Moo-hyun took a deep breath before answering.

“Father.”

―I heard you went out for early morning training?

“Ah, yes.”

―What’s gotten into you? You, doing training? What’s your method? Batting practice in front of a toy pitching machine? Or building muscles that are useless in real combat?

A sarcastic tone.

His father’s words always had a sharp edge.

To others, Choi Min-soo was the strongest tanker and a hero of Heavenly Soul, but to his son, he was a burdensome and unapproachable father.

Choi Moo-hyun closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

―Choi Moo-hyun!

“I’m listening.”

―How long are you going to wander around?

“I don’t want to talk about that.”

―Stop fooling around and join Heavenly Soul.

“I don’t want to.”

―Stop being stubborn.

“I’m hanging up.”

Choi Moo-hyun abruptly ended the call and even removed the battery from his phone. He let out a yell, startling a dog being walked by its owner, causing it to urinate in fright.

Choi Moo-hyun started running towards the guild house instead of taking a taxi.

He couldn’t just sit back and take this kind of disrespect.

====

***

====

Dressed in a spandex suit and preparing to board Simulator 2, Choi Moo-hyun glanced at Yeom Sang-taek, who was standing by Simulator 4, chatting and laughing with Kim Joon.

Lately, Yeom Sang-taek had been sticking close to Kim Joon.

‘Why is he suddenly acting all buddy-buddy with Kim Joon? He used to openly disregard him as just a carrier.’

Yeom Sang-taek had been in good spirits recently.

His buffs were consistently successful, earning him multiple compliments from the Ice Queen, Yoo Min-jung. She even suggested that he learn more advanced buff spells, indicating her high regard for him.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

It was Go Chul-min.

“Board.”

As the team leader and captain, Yoo Min-jung gave the command, and the team members boarded the simulators in unison.

A flash of light erupted, and they gradually adjusted to the darkness.

A ball of light ascended into the air, pushing back the darkness in all directions. The illuminated area had a radius of 30 meters, a testament to Yeom Sang-taek’s improved abilities.

“Diamond formation…”

Before Yoo Min-jung could finish her sentence, the formation was already complete. She switched through several formations, and the team’s response was so quick that there was nothing to criticize.

For the first time in a while, a smile appeared on Yoo Min-jung’s lips.

“Everyone’s doing great.”

“Let’s go, team!”

Yeom Sang-taek shouted, and Yoo Min-jung burst into laughter.

‘That should have been me cheering,’ Choi Moo-hyun thought, biting his lip.

Yeom Sang-taek even high-fived Kim Joon discreetly. Despite appearing unfocused, Yeom Sang-taek suddenly became serious, his eyebrows twitching.

“Two Pyrosauruses, 50 meters ahead, approaching fast.”

A buffer’s role was to provide accurate detection reports.

Yoo Min-jung’s eyes widened.

It was impressive that he could detect something 50 meters away. Detection ability was known to be difficult to improve through training alone.

“Tanker.”

Yoo Min-jung called out.

Choi Moo-hyun prepared to deploy his Golden Wall. He steadied his body with both legs and projected his inner strength forward. A golden barrier quickly appeared.

A red dot pierced through the darkness. As it got closer, its form became clearer.

The Pyrosauruses charged forward, spewing flames. The fire collided with the Golden Wall, deflecting backward or to the sides.

At that moment, Yoo Min-jung unleashed her fire-based attack spell, Fire Arrow.

Thwack, thwack.

The fire arrows struck the Pyrosaurus’s side, belly, and chest. Though it caused wounds and some liquid to ooze out, it was far from a critical hit.

Given that the Pyrosaurus was a monster with fire properties, Yoo Min-jung’s attack was not very effective.

The Pyrosaurus let out a pained groan and fled into the darkness.

Yoo Min-jung looked up. She almost called for a halt to the training.

This is why there should be at least two dealers. When a monster has similar attributes to a dealer, the impact of the attack diminishes.

In such cases, another dealer with a critical attribute against the monster is needed for the team to perform effectively in any situation.

Fire attribute dealers pair well with water attribute dealers, but this often leads to conflicts due to their differing natures.

‘I’m alone here.’

Yoo Min-jung resolved to develop a new attribute beyond her fire attribute. She would have to do the work of two people. She had to grow this guild no matter what.

“One Pyrosaurus approaching from the 10 o’clock direction.”

It was Yeom Sang-taek.

Without Yoo Min-jung’s command, a left turn was executed naturally. It was a result of their training.

“Team leader, can I try?”

Choi Moo-hyun stepped forward.

“You?”

“I have an attack skill.”

“Really?”

Yoo Min-jung’s face lit up. If a tanker optimized for defense had a usable attack skill, it would be a significant asset for her as the team leader and dealer.

“Go ahead. It’s training, after all.”

It was Yeom Sang-taek.

“Yes, give it a try.”

Yoo Min-jung gave her permission.

Choi Moo-hyun lowered his center of gravity and placed his fist at his waist. It was a stance for a straight punch.

He adjusted his breathing, timing it with the approaching Pyrosaurus, and tried to shake off his tension.

He focused only on the possibility of success. Yoo Min-jung would be delighted and smile brightly. Everyone would acknowledge Choi Moo-hyun as a capable tanker.

Just before the Pyrosaurus spewed fire, Choi Moo-hyun thrust his fist forward. ‘Golden Fist’ was unleashed. Through his extended fist, his inner energy burst out in a golden glow.

The golden light almost pierced through the flames but was deflected. His inner energy hadn’t been properly channeled.

The flames engulfed Choi Moo-hyun. They didn’t lose their strength and swept over Yoo Min-jung and Yeom Sang-taek behind him.

Choi Moo-hyun, having died, exited the simulator.

As he threw off his helmet, he noticed a familiar man standing in front of the large display.

“…Father?”

There stood Choi Min-soo.

“Tsk, tsk.”

His father clicked his tongue.

Why was his father here? What was he doing?

He must have been watching the display. What was showing on that screen? The Pyrosaurus was chasing the sole survivor, Kim Joon.

“Hello.”

Yoo Min-jung approached Choi Min-soo and greeted him.

“Min-jung, what brings you here?”

“I got kicked out of Jushin. So, I’m working as a dealer here.”

“Kicked out? Someone of your talent is rare even in Jushin. You must have left on your own. Anyway, a Level 6 fire dealer—Uramata Guild is in for some sunshine.”

Choi Min-soo was looking ats Go Chul-min.

The moment his father, who had just clicked his tongue at him, turned to Yoo Min-jung with a kind smile, Choi Moo-hyun grabbed his bag and stormed out of the guild house.

Kim Joon, who had already exited the simulator, followed him.

Go Chul-min, observing Choi Min-soo standing still, commented, “You raise him tough.”

“He’s a tiger.”

“Isn’t he still a cub that needs nurturing?”

“A cub is still a tiger.”

“Ah, I see.”

“You heard about the test, right?”

Choi Min-soo changed the subject.

“…Yes.”

“You’ll need to pass it. If your license gets revoked, you won’t be able to handle the consequences. In that case, I’ll have to take Moo-hyun to Heavenly Soul, even if by force.”

“You came to encourage us, I see, senior.”

Go Chul-min looked Choi Min-soo straight in the eye.

“You were a great tanker. It’s a pity you retired.”

“I won’t see you out.”

A clear dismissal.

“Suit yourself.”

Choi Min-soo winked at Yoo Min-jung and laughed heartily as he left the guild house.

====

***

====

Kim Joon followed slowly.

Choi Moo-hyun, having changed from his spandex suit to training clothes, intended to run until his anger subsided, but his body couldn’t keep up. Exhausted in less than 15 minutes, he turned to glare at Kim Joon, who was leisurely following as if on a stroll.

“Leech, how far are you going to follow me?”

“Until you’re hungry.”

Kim Joon replied.

At that moment, Choi Moo-hyun’s stomach growled.

Kim Joon laughed.

Choi Moo-hyun couldn’t help but laugh too.

“I don’t have my wallet.”

Choi Moo-hyun said nonchalantly.

“I brought mine.”

Kim Joon and Choi Moo-hyun entered a nearby snack shop.

They ordered seven rolls of kimbap and five servings of tteokbokki. Most of it disappeared into Choi Moo-hyun’s mouth.

With tteokbokki sauce still on his lips, Choi Moo-hyun asked Kim Joon, “You’ve been really close with Sang-taek lately.”

“He’s my friend.”

“But you’re my friend.”

Choi Moo-hyun emphasized.

“And you’re Yoo Min-jung’s friend.”

Kim Joon teased.

“What?”

Choi Moo-hyun’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

“You like her, don’t you? Isn’t that right?”

“Wh-who said that?”

“Oh, Yoo Min-jung!”

Kim Joon raised his hand, looking towards the snack shop entrance.

Startled, Choi Moo-hyun stood up and turned around. Of course, no one was there. He glared at Kim Joon.

“Why do you hate your father? You can’t stand it whenever he’s mentioned.”

“If you were me, you’d have run away. Ah, sorry.”

Choi Moo-hyun suddenly remembered Kim Joon’s situation.

“If I were you, I’d go see your father.”

“What do you mean?”

“Golden Fist.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your father’s Golden Fist is beyond imagination.”

“What do you mean? My father didn’t learn Golden Fist! He just… only taught me…”

Choi Moo-hyun frowned again.

“No, your father learned Golden Fist. And it was incredibly powerful.”

“That’s impossible.”

“I saw it in the raid video the master gave me.”

“Really?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true.”

The Moonlight Golden Heart Technique wasn’t a well-known martial art.

Even among raiders, it was one of those martial arts that few people sought to learn.

In fact, it was often considered useless by the general public.

Yet his father had taught him the Moonlight Golden Heart Technique. He hadn’t taught him the technique he was most proud of, the Heavenly Destruction Art!

Choi Moo-hyun had always wanted to be like his father since he was a child.

Naturally, he wanted to learn the Heavenly Destruction Art. Effective in both offense and defense, the Heavenly Destruction Art was also Choi Moo-hyun’s goal.

However, his father had simply refused his son’s request.

No, his father had thoroughly prevented him from even learning the basic moves of the Heavenly Destruction Art.

That incident had led to the worst relationship between them.

And now, his father had used the Moonlight Golden Heart Technique?

“It’s true. It was incredible. He killed seven Pyrosauruses in one blow.”

Kim Joon’s calm tone emphasized the truth of his words.

Choi Moo-hyun’s heart trembled. He realized he had misunderstood his father all this time.

“Go see your father. If you want to fix the flaws in your Golden Fist.”

Kim Joon stood up, paid the bill, and walked out.

Choi Moo-hyun was left alone.

====

***

====

The eyes of the Heavenly Soul members were all on Choi Moo-hyun.

Ignoring them, Choi Moo-hyun walked straight to the training room where his father was.

No one stopped him.

Everyone in Heavenly Soul knew that Choi Moo-hyun was Choi Min-soo’s son.

He pushed open the door with both hands.

Choi Min-soo was sitting cross-legged in the center of the training room.

As soon as Choi Moo-hyun stepped into the training room and felt the immense pressure, he dodged to the side.

His father was already approaching with an outstretched palm. It was the ultimate move of the Heavenly Destruction Art, the Heavenly Palm.

The fierce energy cut through the air and slammed into the door with a bang.

If the door hadn’t been reinforced with steel, it might have shattered.

“Father!”

But his words were useless.

Choi Min-soo’s attacks came like a storm.

Choi Moo-hyun deflected the Heavenly Palm with the Golden Wall of the Moonlight Golden Heart Technique.

Though he was pushed back nearly a meter by the force, he successfully blocked the attack.

“Good!”

Choi Min-soo shouted.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”