FTE 021

I realized it after speaking out loud. Despite wanting to draw a clear line, my words were more emotional than ever before. Embarrassed, I looked at Chae Won-u, pretending nothing happened. He quietly watched me and then replied while looking back:

“It won’t happen.”

Then he disappeared completely. As I watched the closing door, I muttered,

“Liar. There is no such thing as ‘it won’t happen’…”

With dungeons suddenly breaking open and monsters pouring out, even humans had transformed into creatures just like those beasts. Now, there was no longer any event that couldn’t occur.

I went to the kitchen and drank some cold water. After drinking without stopping, my head felt dizzy. Still feeling somewhat frustrated, I was about to pour another glass when I noticed a very small irritation in one corner. Upon reaching out to check, I found a pill as long as a fingernail. It might’ve gone unnoticed amidst the white tiles and sink countertop. Holding it up for closer inspection, a fleeting thought crossed my mind, prompting me to hastily pocket the pill. With a grip on the already condensation-covered cup, I headed back to my room.

It turned out to be an early night’s sleep.

***

It was before dawn when the alarm woke us up. The notification persistently rang out. It was a high-pitched electronic sound, excellent at causing discomfort and jarring our minds awake even before our bodies fully stirred.

This sound wasn’t just irritating for us but also dreadful to ordinary people. It signified that a dungeon had broken out.

Just as the news broadcast came on, Chae Won-u and I received orders to stand by with our team.

“It’s like being part of an army without conscription.”

With barely open eyes, we hastily dressed ourselves. As I buckled my belt and stepped outside, I noticed Chae Won-u wearing a utility belt across his shoulder down to his waist, similar to mine. Seeing me, he removed one pair of goggles from around his waist and tossed it to me.

“Ah, thank you…”

As this was only my second mission, I wasn’t used to wearing goggles yet. I hung them around my neck and tied a waterproof bandana loosely there as well, knowing full well it wouldn’t stay dry for long but having no other choice.

As soon as I inserted my earbuds, we received instructions on which area to head to. Chae Won-u and I made our way to Helipad 2. Judging by the fact that transportation would be via helicopter instead of car, it seemed like another location either at the outskirts or outside Seoul altogether.

“Is everyone here?”

It was hard to hear over the noise of the helicopter, so I shouted back what I assumed he’d asked. Despite the early hour, those standing resolutely with their hands behind their backs showed no signs of sleepiness. They were truly impressive. Honestly, though, I felt quite groggy myself.

“We’ll receive the briefing en route, so let’s all board since we have a long way to go!”

We still had a long way to go? As I boarded the helicopter with mixed feelings, I felt Chae Won-u lightly grasp my waist from behind.

“Hunter Chae Won-u, don’t treat me like a delicate flower.”

“I know.”

Despite knowing, his hand remained on my waist. With a long journey ahead and no time to waste, I didn’t argue. Honestly, it made the ride more comfortable.

Once seated, we fastened our belts in an X-shape and received a tablet. Since there was only one tablet per pair, Chae Won-u and I leaned close together, heads side by side, to review our mission.

Mission—some people referred to them as quests. It would’ve been better if they were indeed quests. Thinking of all this as part of a game might seem absurd, but at least it would lessen the gloominess.

The dungeon occurred in one of the common mountains located between Gyeonggi-do and Seoul. Considering that 70 percent of South Korea’s land was mountainous, it made sense that dungeons would most likely appear there frequently.

“I’ve been here before.” Suddenly, Chae Won-u shouted in my ear. Still, his voice sounded small due to the noise from the helicopter.

“The terrain is rough, and there are many trees. Hyung, I can’t use much power in places with lots of trees.”

“Why?”

“Because the trees absorb water.”

Damn it. My concern for the upcoming mission suddenly increased. Hastily, I scrolled down to confirm the tasks assigned to Chae Won-u and me.

“Aren’t they bastards?”

***

The mountains at dawn were even darker. The helicopter violently shook in the air. We had to descend precariously amidst strong winds. In this world where various abilities and events occurred like something out of a movie, making Hollywood action films obsolete, basic things still happened analogously. To safely descend from a wildly shaking ladder, one needed courage as well as strong thigh and core muscles…

“I’m going to make it big in this field!”

I shouted unhesitatingly. Anyway, nobody could hear me over the sound of the propellers.

My legs trembled as soon as I landed on the ground. It wasn’t just about descending. You had to distribute your strength evenly throughout your body while moving both hands and feet without overexerting any part. As soon as I reached the bottom, there was no time to catch my breath; I quickly put on goggles and pulled up my bandana. With earbuds in place, I exchanged glances with Chae Won-u through our goggles.

—Perform your assigned tasks as instructed. The forward support team will enter first. The gate opens for 30 seconds every two minutes. The identified monsters are small rodents with high stealth abilities and exceptional speed. Good luck to all of you. Let’s come out alive.

Chae Won-u extended his hand and turned on the small spotlight attached to my shoulder. In return, I activated his light while whispering:

“Once again, please take good care of me.”

“And once again, I’ll protect you.”

Hmph, I snorted softly.

“Don’t forget, if Hunter Chae Won-u dies, so do I.”

***

A gate with a height of 190 centimeters and width of 100 centimeters opened. Chae Won-u and I took deep breaths before stepping inside. He went first, and I followed behind him. Normally, his back didn’t seem broad or sturdy when just looking at his face, but now it felt reassuring as I placed my hand on it while tightening my grip on the pistol.

“Hyung. Let me apologize in advance.”

“Huh?” As soon as we entered the gate, I heard the sound of trees wildly shaking, drowning out Won-u’s words. However, there was no time for a response. A rapid rustling noise approached us from both sides swiftly.

Instantly, Chae Won-u moved to my left, and I positioned myself to his right, facing opposite directions. In the darkness, my gun flashed repeatedly, accompanied by its loud firing sounds, while Chae Won-u hurled sticky mud balls with force.

Every time my gun fired and flashed, I saw red eyes approaching before they disappeared again. My adrenaline surged, causing me to breathe heavily. Fortunately, these monsters didn’t have the habit of forming groups. After killing two by myself and three with Chae Won-u’s help, we could take a breather.

I checked the time while trying to regulate my rough breathing. There were approximately one minute and fourteen seconds left until the next gate opened. During this remaining time, we needed to advance forward somewhat.

Without needing to say anything, Chae Won-u seemed aware and turned ahead. I covered his back.

“Hyung, I’m really sorry.”

“You already said that earlier! What is it?”

“Just…today might be a bit tough for me…”

As he spoke, Chae Won-u stretched out his arms. He rotated them so their backs touched, then clenched his fists tightly in mid-air. The veins on the back of his hands bulged prominently.

I quickly turned around and checked Chae Won-u’s vitality. The small watch was already displaying various information, making me overwhelmed. Nevertheless, I could confirm that Chae Won-u’s heart rate and body temperature were rapidly increasing.

“…!”

When I briefly looked back, I saw an unbelievable sight. The water-saturated mud was slowly being pushed aside. Instead of creating a trench through the mud, he was pushing away rocks and tree roots. Sweeping with water couldn’t remove trees firmly rooted in place. Thus, it made more sense to push them slightly sideways.

I was speechless at Chae Won-u’s intelligence, his ability to execute swiftly, his remarkable strength, and the brute force approach he employed.

“Let’s go.”

Chae Won-u panted and nodded. I put my hand on his neck but Chae Won-u shook it off.

“I’m still okay. It is better to clear as much distance at the beginning. The terrain changes created by abilities inside the dungeon have…”

“A cooldown period. Damn.” Chae Won-u was right. I withdrew the blade and placed the hilt in the slot of my glove firmly so it wouldn’t slip or fall out. With the other hand, I changed the magazine.

“I will provide cover fire, so do as much as you can and tell me before reaching your limit. Anyway, I will be checking.”

“I can also provide cover fire—”

“If you use your ability excessively, you might become groggy or get knocked down, taking a long time to recover. At that moment, I won’t be able to fight while leaving Hunter Chae behind. Do you want to see me die trying to save you?”

Chae Won-u shook his head vigorously, so much that it seemed like it might fly off. I managed to smile and urged him on:

“Let’s go. We need to find the core.”

With his face covered by a bandana and goggles, it was hard to see Chae Won-u clearly, but somehow, I could guess his expression. His already pale face must have looked even more drained. I couldn’t stop thinking about this possibility—that perhaps the Hunter Association was testing Chae Won-u. They seemed to be gathering data on how much he could handle, how far they could push him, and what limits he could withstand.

And as for me? Was my role simply to support Chae Won-u, allowing them to extract maximum information from him?

“If that’s true…”

But if it were true…what could I do about it? What options did I have?