BRH 39

As expected, the call ended with a rather simple farewell. Looking down at his phone after the call ended, Do-heon put aside the unsettling feeling and let out a sigh. A strangely persistent energy crawled uncomfortably over his skin.

“He said it was a Rank 4… so it should be fine. Even if it upgrades, it’ll be a Rank 5 or Rank 6 at most.”

With the exception of the Rank 5 Escalation Dungeon that Ha Do-heon had entered, there had been no official cases of Rank 5 dungeons or gates appearing in Korea yet. Besides, someone of Moon Tae-yi’s caliber should be able to handle a Rank 5 with ease. A Rank 6… would be difficult, but probably possible.

Judging by the timing, rank 5 Dungeons only start appearing after the Second Great Disaster. Around late autumn, roughly.

So, it was still too early. Ha Do-heon pursed his lips and tried to reassure himself that his anxiety was just from an uncomfortable night’s sleep.

“What a life…. I should just get to work.”

Just then, Lime, who had been placing flowers on the tombstone, oozed out of the dressing room. Ha Do-heon snatched the Slime, put it in his pocket, and hurried to get ready for work.

However, Ha Do-heon’s monstrous intuition, surpassing even that of a dinosaur in scale, was more accurate than any weather forecast.

It was about three days after Moon Tae-yi had entered the rank 4 Dungeon. Ha Do-heon, who had shown up for his shift at the Morning Star Cafe as usual and was breaking a sweat while frantically serving food, heard some unbelievable news.

‘Huh?’

The usually bustling hall had fallen silent all at once, making Ha Do-heon wonder what was going on. He paused on his way to move dishes to the kitchen and glanced out at the hall.

The hunters, who had been burying their faces in their bowls, were all staring at the TV mounted on the wall. Ha Do-heon craned his neck and looked where everyone’s attention was focused.

On the TV screen, an announcer with a stiff expression was delivering breaking news. The words were clear enough to hear, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite understand them.

…What are they saying?

Ha Do-heon squinted and gradually read the large text on the news screen.

[Upgraded Dungeon. Upgrading rank being measured, S-rank deployed, Emergency situation. Searching for missing, injured.]

Ha Do-heon, blinking as he watched the news, gradually lowered his arm. His eyelashes, casting a shadow over his wide eyes, trembled.

A large photo of Moon Tae-yi appeared on the TV screen. But that was-.

― Reporter Kim Ki-tae reports from the scene.

― Here, at the rank 4 Dungeon in Jeongneung 1-dong, Seongbuk-gu, a report came in at around 4 AM today that it had escalated. The Hunter Management Bureau is measuring the upgraded rank and is committed to quickly rescuing the injured to minimize damage. In fact, the Hunter Management Bureau has issued Response Stage 3 and deployed affiliated Hunters to prioritize rescuing the injured, but they are facing difficulties due to the difficulty of entry. It is estimated that about 14 people remain in the Dungeon.

― An S-rank hunter was said to have been assigned to the advance raid party. Is there any news on that front at present?

― Yes, that’s right. The S-rank Hunter deployed to the rank 4 Dungeon in Jeongneung 1-dong has been confirmed as Moon Tae-yi-ssi. However, it has been confirmed that Moon Tae-yi-ssi is currently missing after the Dungeon upgraded during the attack.

― Are you sure he’s missing? Shouldn’t we hear more testimonies from the rescued injured?

― Yes, according to the testimonies of the rescued Hunters, Moon Tae-yi-ssi sent the attack team to the rear as soon as he noticed the Dungeon upgrading. He seems to have gone missing as the terrain changed while fighting at the front alone.

― The Hunter Management Bureau is forming a missing persons dispatch team to secure the Dungeon entrance. What is the situation on the ground? Is there any indication that other S-rank Hunters from Korea will be additionally deployed?

― Yes, that’s right. As public anxiety increases due to the Dungeon upgrading, the Hunter Management Bureau is forming a team of S-rank Hunters to consider entering the interior. Oh! Just now, another survivor has emerged from the Dungeon!

The TV screen showed the scene. In the suffocating silence, someone clicked their tongue. Only then did Ha Do-heon realize that he hadn’t been breathing.

The veins on his tightly clenched fist bulged grotesquely. As he released the tension, blood circulated rapidly.

Moon Tae-yi is… missing?

It was impossible. Ha Do-heon squatted in a corner, covering his mouth as he sank into thought. Was there something he had missed? It was true that Ha Do-heon’s memory had holes scattered throughout it.

However, these were mostly things that happened after entering the Yakum Dungeon, and symptoms that appeared in his companions and the awakened, so it could be said that he remembered the major events that represented the era in detail.

Had there been an incident where a Dungeon upgraded before the Second Great Disaster? Not publicly.

Had Moon Tae-yi ever gone missing before the Second Great Disaster? That wasn’t the case either.

Then, had the system ever shown itself before his regression? That also… hadn’t happened.

But the world had changed. Why? Had Ha Do-heon’s regression had an impact? The world, diverging from the events he remembered, felt increasingly unfamiliar.

A suddenly upgraded Dungeon. And monsters with crowns sprouting. System messages he hadn’t seen before.

[The Dungeon’s name has been changed to ‘Dungeon Created by □□’.]

[Korea is the first human to complete the shortest period of ‘Nurturing Dungeon’ designed by ■■.]

‘Dungeon Created by □□,’ which he had first witnessed in the upgraded Dungeon.

What was that? What bastard had messed with the Dungeon, causing it to upgrade? That was Ha Do-heon’s conclusion. If not, the events happening now couldn’t be explained. If there was a third party besides those who constituted this world, who could it be?

As Ha Do-heon took a shallow breath, the hall stirred once more. Lifting his head and looking at the TV, he saw the reporter covering the scene shouting urgently.

― The upgraded rank has been announced. The upgraded rank announced by the Hunter Management Bureau is currently rank 7… confirmed as rank 7!

Rank 7.

Almost simultaneously, sounds of people spitting out food echoed from here and there. Some Hunters rinsed their mouths with water and spat it out, while others dropped their spoons. All stared blankly at the TV, doubting whether what they had just heard was true.

A rank 7 had appeared when even rank 5 Dungeons hadn’t been properly announced yet.

On the other hand, Ha Do-heon chuckled hollowly. His dark eyes had already turned cold and were fixed on the air.

Rank 7… Right. It seemed that a massive disc that Ha Do-heon didn’t even know about was turning somewhere.

Seeing a rank 7 appear now when it had only appeared two years later in his regression.

“……”

As he clenched his jaw tightly, his masseter muscle protruded. Afraid that someone might see him, Ha Do-heon only slightly lowered his head while squatting. He buried his face between his knees and slowly rubbed his neck.

Ah… he really didn’t want that to happen.

― Please keep this with you. It’s my business card. If you ever need anything, feel free to contact me.

The business card that Hoo Eui-seong had handed him in the Hunter Management Bureau interrogation room. That day, after returning home from the Hunter Management Bureau, Ha Do-heon had sat on his bed and stared intently at the business card. Should he throw it away, or not? He had thought about tearing it up, but for some reason, he had a bad feeling and kept it. He had thought there would be no use for it, but it seemed he had kept it just in case a day like this would come.

‘Ugh… should I just sneak in?’

It wouldn’t be difficult for Ha Do-heon to sneak into a rank 7 Dungeon. But the problem was that he wouldn’t have an excuse when he ran into Moon Tae-yi inside. What would he say if he asked how he got there?

His lips drooped in dismay. Do-heon buried his face in his hands and made a muffled sound.

But Tae-yi-ssi can’t die. No, Tae-yi-ssi… why did you go missing?

Because he didn’t know Moon Tae-yi’s exact ability stats, Ha Do-heon didn’t actually know if he could handle a rank 7 Dungeon. Maybe he was struggling in the Dungeon right now. If he was unlucky… he would be severely injured.

“……”

It had only been two hours since he had come to work, but he already felt like a whole day had passed. Amidst the commotion in the hall, the people in the kitchen came out one by one to hear the news. Even the owner, Cheon Seo-hyeok, came out with a ladle in his hand and looked up at the TV screen, his expression twisting.

“…Isn’t Moon Tae-yi screwed?”

Ha Do-heon felt his heart clench at those words. Eventually, with a troubled expression, he went out to the alleyway through the back door of the kitchen. Squatting on one side of the dirty alleyway filled with trash, Ha Do-heon rummaged through his pockets.

A crumpled piece of paper came out at his fingertips. The edges of the paper, which had been handled so much, were worn and frayed.

“…I wanted to keep this so badly.”

[Hoo Eui-seong.

Hunter affiliated with the Hunter Management Bureau Field Department.

000-1 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Tel. 010-3000-0000 | Fax. 02-123-4567

Email- EuiSeong Hoo01@seryeong.com]

It was Hoo Eui-seong’s business card. Ha Do-heon stared at it for a long time, then rummaged through his pockets as if he had made up his mind. What came out of his hand was his phone.

---

The special report that an unprecedented rank 7 Dungeon had appeared in Korea spread around the world. Faced with an unprecedented emergency in Korea, the home of the Yakum Dungeon, foreign media relentlessly poured out reports on the Korean ecosystem. The whole world paid attention to Korea, to what might be the future of the world.

From the time the report of the rank 4 Dungeon’s upgrading came in, the scene inside the Hunter Management Bureau resembled a battlefield.

It took less than 30 minutes for the team leaders of each department and the Hunters affiliated with the field to receive the emergency and dispatch to the scene.

Hoo Eui-seong, who was affiliated with the field department, was no different. He came to the scene, blocked off the area near the upgraded Dungeon, and controlled traffic. While the Hunter Management Bureau moved the machines to determine the upgraded Dungeon levels and quickly transported the injured to ambulances, reporters and onlookers surrounded the area like snakes.