Chapter 315

Somehow, the longer he looked at it, the more ominous the atmosphere seemed to become.

“Hyungnim!”

Then, all of a sudden, a familiar voice rang out from somewhere nearby.

“Hmm?”

“Wow, as expected of you, Hyung-nim. I only managed to get here after the guild contacted me, but seriously—just how wide is your information network? At this point, all I can do is admire how you always manage to show up so fast...!”

Who else on Earth would be a skinhead calling someone “Hyung” without sharing a single drop of blood with him?

It was Ahn Yoonseung.

And the appearance of this A-rank defense-type Hunter also meant that the reinforcements Esther had called for had finally arrived.

***

A few minutes later, Kim Gryeo turned his head and surveyed the Hunters gathered around him.

By now, a considerable number of domestic Awakened had assembled in the city to respond to the Beasts. Yet, as in any field, there were only a handful of individuals in this world who possessed truly transcendent power.

‘Nothing but familiar faces.’

Most of the manpower Esther had gathered—after practically threatening the new Association President—consisted of people Kim Gryeo had seen many times before.

For instance, there was a top-tier defensive Hunter from the Neo Sisters Guild.

Then there was his boss at work, an Awakened in his thirties who specialized in the crossbow.

And there was also that well-known Hunter from Chuncheon, someone who consistently ranked among the very best even within the large pool of A-rankers.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. Well, no news is good news, so I guess they’ve all been doing fine.’

He pricked up his ears and caught the cluster of A-rankers chatting among themselves.

“Hunter Choi Jin! You’re here? Huh? Where’s your younger sibling?”

“How could I possibly bring my younger sibling into a place like this? I left Jinhee with one of my guildmates and came alone. Honestly, it’s lucky I happened to be in Seoul on other business anyway...”

“Ah, I see.”

“Oh? Jimie noona! Over here, over here!”

Hunter Choi Jin, Yoonseung’s cousin.

However, despite the arrival of someone who possessed the Dragon’s Heart, Kim Gryeo did not let his gaze linger on him for long.

No matter how many elite A-rank Awakened gathered here, he could not bring himself to feel safe as long as the enemy consisted of S-rank Beasts.

“Ah, finally. Our national hero is here.”

Fortunately, among this basket full of eggs, someone who could finally be called a solid rock had arrived.

Vroom.

The top-ranked Hunter, fully equipped for battle, stepped out of the back seat of a white sedan.

“Huh?”

“What?”

However, the powerful pyromancer was not the only person to emerge from the vehicle.

Tsk.

At the same time, a neatly dressed woman in a suit stepped out of the front passenger seat.

She appeared to be a Korean woman in her twenties. After bowing politely to the driver and then to Jung Haseong in thanks, she immediately drew several people’s attention.

Most of the Hunters gathered at the scene did not recognize her.

But for someone like Ahn Yoonseung, who frequently dealt with Association staff while responding to dungeon breaks, she was difficult to mistake.

“Huh? What’s she doing here?”

“I’m the one who called her, Gryeo-ssi.”

“Yes?”

She had called Seonwoo Yeon because the Beasts had occupied the gate?

The alien stared at the head of the Magic Tower Guild for a moment, clearly unable to understand her reasoning.

“I didn’t specifically choose Seonwoo Yeon. I just needed to bring along a public official who could also serve as a witness, and there weren’t many options. It’s because of the usual ‘presence’ that S-ranks carry.”

Fortunately, the explanation was straightforward.

“A witness?”

“Well, since we’re dealing with Beasts here... honestly, this is the kind of situation where casualties could easily occur, right?”

“Of course.”

“Of course, if anyone does get hurt, we’ll do our best to make sure it’s the Beasts.”

Swish, swash.

Esther glanced around cautiously, then rose slightly onto her toes and leaned in to whisper to her fellow Hunter.

“You know... if we encounter the Beasts inside, we’re apparently supposed to tell them several times that their illegitimate deal has been annulled and urge them to surrender.”

“Is that mandatory?”

“We did strip them of ownership in a hurry through the new Association President... but we still live in a society governed by law. Apparently, if we ambushed them as a group in secret, it could damage the entire industry once the media found out afterward.”

“Hoo.”

“Maybe that’s why so many hero movies these days are about people burning out from stress?”

So this was about establishing that they had acted in self-defense.

Apparently, there were more restrictions than expected.

Most of the reasoning made sense.

But one thing still puzzled Kim Gryeo.

Why was Esther whispering about something so obvious?

“Ah, why are you suddenly whispering?”

Kim Gryeo asked out of curiosity.

The purple-haired woman answered him without much hesitation.

“Honestly, I told the Association I’d follow all the rules to the letter... but I have absolutely no intention of doing that.”

“What did you say?”

“Can’t we just intimidate or bribe a B-rank inspector afterward and manipulate the story in our favor?”

“The inspector is Seonwoo Yeon, though.”

“As expected, that’ll be difficult...”

Tch.

Still, the [Searcher] skill was useful in far too many situations.

Esther really wanted that staff member included in the raid team.

In any case, maintaining the moral high ground in a society ruled by law was such a nuisance.

While the woman named Esther voiced her mild dissatisfaction—

Tae, tae, tae.

Before long, an S-rank Hunter and a B-rank Hunter approached from their direction.

“Hunter Jung Haseong!”

“On the way here from the Association, I was fully briefed on the situation.”

Haseong met Esther’s gaze and immediately began speaking with her in a low voice.

Meanwhile, Seonwoo Yeon hovered awkwardly between them, glancing around with obvious uncertainty.

Then, after noticing a certain blond S-rank motioning to her, she cautiously walked over.

“Hunter Kim Gryeo.”

“Yes...”

An alien and the only human who knew he was an alien moved off to one side and began speaking privately.

“Hello.”

It was difficult to tell whether this was really the proper situation for greetings, but Seonwoo Yeon opened her mouth cautiously while keeping one eye on the surroundings.

“I also received a general explanation from the Association, but... if you don’t mind me asking first, do you happen to know anything specific about what’s going on?”

It was easy to forget sometimes, but the alien standing before her had definitely introduced himself as a high-level mage.

The human woman raised her eyes slightly toward the creature standing taller than she was.

What she received in return was a single cold remark, delivered with a gaze just as chilly.

“To sum it up—we’re screwed.”

“Yes?”

“This is really something I’m only telling you, Yeon-ssi... Wait, is that even the right way for me to address you according to the rules? Anyway, right now, the Beasts aren’t the only problem.”

A brief explanation followed.

The alien first revealed the dungeon’s secret to the only Association employee he trusted to any meaningful degree.

“The interior space of the gate can split open along perforated lines like wrapping paper?”

It was a terrifying warning.

If that phenomenon caused a Break, the nearby apartment complexes could be damaged by a magical accident.

“They’re all tall buildings to begin with...”

Should the government immediately issue an evacuation order for every resident in the apartment complex?

That concern crossed Seonwoo Yeon’s mind at first.

But as she continued listening to Kim Gryeo’s explanation, she realized that the appearance of the [Beasts] alone had already raised the danger level enough for the residents to have been evacuated safely.

So if the apartment buildings collapsed now, the greatest concern would be property damage.

Unfortunately, this happened to be an extremely expensive neighborhood, meaning the projected financial losses alone were already astronomical.

And, of course, there would also be losses that could never be replaced at all—things like a baby’s first clothes or heirlooms passed down through generations.

“I see. So the residents have already been evacuated.”

“That’s all thanks to Seo Esther. Anyway, I’m in a position where I can’t reveal everything I know, which makes a lot of things difficult. And honestly, even with this information, it’s still hard to rush in while the Beasts are inside.”

The alien brought a hand up near his chin for a moment.

For now, with the arrival of Seonwoo Yeon and Jung Haseong, the team was more or less complete.

At least on the surface, this side also had three S-rank Hunters.

On top of that, so many A-rank Hunters had assembled that counting them all at a glance was difficult.

Maybe, just maybe, they would not be completely overwhelmed if they came face-to-face with the Beasts.

But their opponents were still three S-rank beings from who-knew-where.

And from the alien’s perspective, Kang Changho’s sudden disappearance from contact was another deeply troubling sign.

So what was the best course of action under these circumstances?

“Hmm.”

While the alien sank into thought, Esther—now effectively serving as the leader on-site—began discussing the situation with the others.

Since she had already entered the dungeon and confirmed the Beasts’ presence personally, she possessed more information than anyone else present.

“Alright, Hunters. First, there’s something we need to decide. At first, I thought we had to drive those thugs out as quickly as possible after they took over a gate in someone else’s country. That’s why I entered the dungeon immediately.”

Esther continued.

“But now that we have more people here, I think we should avoid making any rash moves if possible... Maybe it’s time we try stalling from outside for a while.”

She had urged everyone to gather quickly because Beasts had been confirmed inside the country, and now she was suggesting that they deliberately drag things out?

If their opponents had been ordinary creatures from another world, such a plan might actually have worked.

With proper supplies on their own side, they could simply wait until the enemy weakened from hunger and exhaustion.

However, the real issue in this incident was not the Beasts themselves.

It was the foolish humans who had belatedly begun imitating them.

Because of that, Esther’s argument quickly gained support.

In short, since the Beasts were still living creatures vulnerable to fatigue, hunger, and similar limitations, she proposed fortifying the passage and waiting.

As long as their own side maintained adequate supplies, they could outlast the enemy until the opposition weakened.

“...Uh, wait a moment.”

But then—

“Excuse me, but with that approach, we wouldn’t have any opportunity to negotiate with the Awakened inside the dungeon. If we starve them from outside and accidentally kill the Beasts in the process...”

A government official cautiously voiced an objection.

If someone carried the name “Beast,” that alone meant they were an extremely dangerous Awakened, regardless of what they truly were.

Of course, Seo Esther’s stance—prioritizing the safety of Korean citizens above everything else, by any means necessary—was rational in its own way.

However, at the same time, it was also true that they could not simply kill fellow Earthlings recklessly.

“Come to think of it, the crimes committed by the Beast group after arriving in Korea—at least on the surface—amount to little more than illegally occupying a dungeon.”

There was also the matter of Esther having been injured.

But considering that the curse sorcerer’s side had nearly shattered another person’s ribs during the same confrontation, the legal situation was not exactly clear-cut.

“Hmm? An armed criminal whose face we don’t even know has barricaded himself inside an A-rank gate. From the perspective of ordinary civilians, isn’t this practically an act of terrorism?”

“T-that’s true.”

“And in a situation like this, you’re saying we should prioritize the lives of those criminals? Seriously! Why should we care about the human rights of s*t-ranks like them?”

“Hunter Seo, I completely agree that we need to take a firm stance. I’m not arguing against that. It’s just that having a Hunter’s license doesn’t exempt us from moral responsibility, so I genuinely don’t have much choice here. That’s why I’m suggesting that, at the very least, we set up loudspeakers at the entrance and...”

But just as the atmosphere began to heat up—

“Boom!”

A harsh breath, almost like the barking of a dog, suddenly rang out.

“What?”

“Huh?”

“A monster?!”

Ummm.

A beastly roar echoed from somewhere nearby.

Every Hunter gathered at the scene snapped their head toward the sound in unnervingly perfect unison.

“Huh? That’s...!”

“This is a completely new species!”

And then they saw it.

It was an abomination with a jagged, misshapen silhouette, as though two or three feral dogs had been crudely mashed together.

Its mouth gaped wide despite being disturbingly devoid of teeth, and in the center of its face sat a single vertical eye, grotesquely split open.

The modern Hunters, immediately recognizing the sheer unnaturalness of the creature before them, raised their weapons without hesitation.

Bang!

Naturally, the situation was resolved almost instantly.

The gate the creature had emerged from was, after all, only a standard A-rank in terms of danger.

A few seconds later, the monster collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, releasing one final shrill death cry.

It was only natural.

Many of South Korea’s finest professional Hunters were gathered here.

“Grrr!”

...But the anomaly did not end there.

The very instant the malformed monster fell, another creature with the exact same muscular body emerged from beyond the gate.

“Oh my.”

Dungeon monsters were not supposed to leave their nests before a spatial Break occurred.

If they were already spilling out this frequently, however, the explanation was probably very simple.

‘Could the internal density already be that high?’

Cockroaches behaved in a similar way.

People said that when there was no longer enough darkness left for them to hide in, they began getting pushed out into the open one by one.

If that was true, then how different was this situation from spotting one right in the middle of the living room?

“Huh? Wait a minute.”

The situation deteriorated by the minute.

During the same two minutes the Korean Hunters had spent arguing, the criminal organization known as Beast had apparently reached its own conclusion.

And now, one of the Earthlings among them—a figure wearing a bone mask—was the first to act.

“Damn it!”

“First, make absolutely sure they don’t get out! If every raider inside comes rushing out, it’ll cause a Break!”

“Use your skills! Skills!”

Then it happened.

From deep within the passage came an approaching presence.

Most likely an S-rank Awakened.

The mana of an S-rank Hunter surged forward like a massive wave.

Every person standing near the center of the area, their senses sharpened to the limit, immediately detected the new Beast rushing toward the entrance.

‘Its build is completely different from Brooklyn’s. It’s short!’

Despite all their efforts, the fake Beast charging toward them managed to break through successfully.

“—Ciiiik...”

Acid, flame, light—

Something along those lines.

The ‘small’ Beast finally appeared, its entire body except for the mask badly damaged by the barrage of skills fired by the Korean Hunters.

At last, its full form came into view.

‘Damn it. So that’s what this is!’

At the same time, the fake Beast that had escaped with everything it had suddenly grabbed someone nearby and activated an item.

‘So that’s why it forced its way out even while grinding its teeth!’

There was no longer any time to analyze the situation further.

The figure in the bone mask seized ‘Jung Haseong,’ who had been standing close to the gate, and activated a tool.

And unfortunately, the otherworldly magic released by that item—though not offensive in nature—was extremely similar to Brooklyn Morgan’s ability.

A super-high-speed teleportation item.

[The Shroud of the Underworld].

Dark magic locked onto specific coordinates and spread around Jung Haseong, whose shoulder had been seized.

The first person caught in its range was Seonwoo Yeon, who happened to be standing directly beside him.

Seonwoo Yeon had encountered a teleportation item called [The Shroud of the Underworld] before during an investigation.

Her reaction was slow, but remembering what she had learned back then, she immediately tried to pull Jung Haseong free from the spreading shadows.

At the same time, the suddenly targeted No. 1-ranked Hunter instinctively tried to wrench himself backward and avoid being abducted.

But the figure wearing the bone mask moved as though it had consumed some forbidden Awakening drug, suddenly displaying monstrous strength far beyond normal human limits...