By Zephyria Inside the tunnel leading to the Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon, people in white protective suits bustled about. Eui-jae, armed with a jackknife, went around rescuing people who were immobilized by the clinging ivy. Strangely, he was immune to the vine’s octopus-like suction.
‘Well, the reason is obvious…’
Because the stupid vines see him as one of their own. Eui-jae helped up a struggling researcher, a wry smile on his face. The protective suit, much smaller than the others, bounced around.
“J, we’re ready. Let’s get started.”
Eui-jae nodded and headed towards the dead end. He cleared away the white ivy and placed his palm against the wall. A tense voice called out from behind.
“…Activating. One, two, three!”
Woooong, white light poured out from the massive machine. The tunnel vibrated. Intense energy surged into his back. Eui-jae channeled the incoming energy, focusing it on the hand pressed against the wall. The wall under his palm throbbed. The energy, flowing through his body and into the wall, began to form a circular shape.
Just a little more. Just a little more. Eui-jae gritted his teeth and concentrated. The energy, which had been gathering in a circle around his hand, ultimately failed to find a focal point and scattered with a poof. The entire dark tunnel flashed white before fading. A sigh erupted from behind. Eui-jae clicked his tongue and pulled his hand away. A researcher said in a dejected voice.
“Fourth attempt, failure.”
“Is it energy shortage again?”
“Yes. Using J’s body as a conduit is effective… The energy definitely gathered at one point. This could save us from the scattering energy, but…”
“In the end, we need to increase the amount itself…”
“Energy source…”
“Modification…”
The researchers began discussing their headache-inducing theories among themselves. Eui-jae didn’t even try to understand, squatting down in front of the wall. If he showed any interest, the entire research team would swarm him, eager to explain.
‘That’s a hard pass.’
He didn’t want to be trapped in the endless explanation loop again. Eui-jae shuddered.
Based on the theories they had established, the Wave Guild research team had made several attempts to open the closed Dungeon door. The research team had kindly explained the theories to Eui-jae, but he tuned out halfway through as all sorts of technical terms popped up. In any case, the theory could be summarized as follows.
The entrance to a Dungeon is a kind of swirling energy. Only one entrance exists for each Dungeon. What if an artificial entrance was created with energy in the place where the Dungeon entrance used to be? Wouldn’t the System, according to its laws, recognize it as a new entrance?
In fact, about a year ago, they claimed to have succeeded in recreating the entrance to a small Dungeon based on the theory. However, the West Sea Rift was realistically impossible. When asked why, a deep sigh returned.
‘It’s too massive.’
‘We tried, but… the power was woefully insufficient. The Guild Master, the Vice Guild Master, and other A-rank Hunters gathered and tried, but it was impossible. There just wasn’t enough energy.’
So they had been searching for a powerful energy source. But without finding a suitable method, they were burdened with the task of researching Invasion Dungeons, and the entrance creation research was pushed to the back burner.
The bandit-like maknae of the research team, who had been creeping closer, asked.
“J, are you feeling any abnormalities in your body? Any pain while receiving the energy…”
“Nothing like that. I’m fine.”
“Ah! That’s a relief. It’s the first time we’ve shot this much energy into one person, so I was worried.”
The bandit maknae chuckled and scratched his head. Eui-jae, propping his chin up, was lost in thought.
“What do you usually use as an energy source?”
“Ah, we use Mana Stones! To replace the entrance, we have to use something under the System’s laws.”
“What kind of Mana Stones are you using now?”
“We buy B-rank and A-rank Mana Stones that come up at auctions or exchanges.”
“The higher the rank, the more energy it has?”
“Yes, that’s right. But the really good ones don’t come up in auctions we can access, only in auctions where Rankers gather… The Guild Master used to buy those for us. But the Guild Master isn’t here now.”
“What about the Vice Guild Master? He’s a Ranker too, isn’t he?”
The bandit maknae sniffled and replied.
“The Vice Guild Master… is a very upright person.”
“Ah. I see…”
So Lee Sa-young is a corrupt human being, or what. The bandit maknae muttered gloomily.
“I really wanted to get the Tomato Market Mana Stone…”
Cough, Eui-jae couldn’t help but choke for a moment. A memory he had completely forgotten crawled back to life. It was one of his biggest failures, even among his many failures. Eui-jae quickly changed the subject.
“I, I see. Anyway…”
“J, do you know about the Tomato Market Mana Stone incident too?”
I know, you little brat. I’m the one who posted it. When I change the subject, follow along quickly. Eui-jae stabbed the floor with his jackknife. The vines that had been slowly creeping towards the bandit maknae lost their strength and drooped. He replied in a low voice.
“No, I don’t know anything.”
“Ah! I see. It’s a fun story, should I explain it to you?”
I don’t need it.
Just then, a vibration rang out. Eui-jae waved his phone and replied.
“I need to take this call.”
“Ah, yes! I’ll get out of your way!”
The bandit maknae tore off the clinging ivy and waddled away. Eui-jae sighed and pressed the call button. A slick voice flowed out.
―It’s me, Gyu-Gyu. Hmm~ You hung up on me last time without answering. I was wondering if you’d thought about it?
Eui-jae got up, dusted off his pants, and retorted.
“Let’s meet. Your timing was perfect.”
The meeting place Gyu-Gyu had chosen was a Hunter-only cafe with private rooms. It was a space that guaranteed the privacy of Hunters who couldn’t even enjoy a cup of coffee in peace, or so it was said. The guard didn’t even flinch when J showed his Hunter ID, so the training must have been good.
The guard led him to the deepest room among the many rooms. He handed Eui-jae the key and disappeared. Eui-jae opened the locked door and entered. A light sky-blue haired young man, who had been looking out the window, turned his head. His face, grinning and showing his teeth, didn’t leave a good impression. He reached out his hand for a handshake.
“Wow, thank you for coming~ To be honest, I was on the fence even while contacting you.”
Eui-jae shook his hand lightly and crossed his arms.
“Let’s get straight to the point. I’m busy.”
“Do you really want to get straight to the point~?”
When Eui-jae nodded, Gyu-Gyu cleared his throat and lowered his voice. He clasped his hands together with a serious face, devoid of any smile, and spoke like a pastor.
“Let us pray.”
What the X, what is this. Did he call me here to proselytize? Eui-jae subtly took a step back. Gyu-Gyu burst out laughing and waved his hand.
“See, you need to hear the other explanations~”
“…….”
“Hmm~ Well, it’s true that we’re going to pray. Do you know how to infiltrate? And can you act a little?”
Infiltration? That’s my specialty. Not to mention acting. Eui-jae nodded without hesitation. Gyu-Gyu looked at the black mask with a suspicious face.
“…Ha, wait a minute. Can I trust this, really?”
“Why did you call me if you weren’t going to trust me?”
“You’re answering so readily, it’s making me trust you less~…”
Eui-jae asked sullenly.
“Why did you contact me in the first place? You can take someone else for an infiltration mission.”
Gyu-Gyu replied without hesitation, his smiling face unchanged.
“I don’t have any friends.”
“…What about colleagues?”
“I don’t have any colleagues either.”
“…….”
Eui-jae lowered his head solemnly. Gyu-Gyu continued without paying attention.
“And J, it’s a place you might be interested in too~ I think our interests will align. What do you think?”
“Where is the infiltration location?”
The corners of Gyu-Gyu’s lips curled up ominously. Eui-jae waited for the answer, tense. His lips slowly parted, and he uttered a single word.
“A pseudo-religious group.”
A pseudo-religious group? Eui-jae frowned. Gyu-Gyu grinned and tossed a die into the air, then caught it.
“They say there aren’t any people at church these days. They’ve all flocked to a pseudo-religion that claims to cure Mutations.”
“…….”
“I can’t stand things like this~ Especially as a pastor’s son. I thought I should turn it upside down.”
He held out his fist. Eui-jae reached out his hand. A note was placed in his palm. Gyu-Gyu grinned.
“Come to this address if you’re interested.”
“The Seer speaks.”
A middle-aged man on the platform spread his arms. Countless people clasped their hands together and bowed their heads. Everyone was dressed in white. Behind the middle-aged man was a white cloth, and a black silhouette could be seen beyond the cloth. A soft voice flowed from behind the cloth.
“Welcome, those who have come seeking salvation. You must have heard the story from somewhere. You have come here with the desperate hope of saving your sick family, friends, or lovers…”
Sniffling sounds were heard from various places. The soft voice continued.
“I understand. And I respect your efforts not to give up…”
The hallway beyond the back door connecting to the hall. Two burly men walked down the long hallway, carrying spears. They had covered their entire bodies with white cloth, including their faces. Then, the man on the right suddenly collapsed.
Thud….
The man on the left mumbled incomprehensible words and looked around. But that was only for a moment.
Whack!
Something strong firmly grabbed his head. No matter how much he struggled or tried to turn his head, it wouldn’t budge. A strangely distorted voice entered his ear.
“Stay still.”
That was the last thing he heard.
Snap.
His neck twisted strangely, and strength drained from his body. Thud, the man fell to the floor. A black figure whisked away the white cloth. A strangely twisted body and face. Thorns sprouting from all over the body. The Experiment of Prometheus.
The black figure, Eui-jae, dragged the test subjects behind a pillar in the hallway and hid them, then covered himself with the white cloth. The cloth seemed to transform to fit the wearer’s body, clinging perfectly to his form. His vision was obscured, but he could tolerate that much.
‘It’s better than not seeing at all.’
He was grateful for this much. Eui-jae hid behind the pillar and surveyed his surroundings. Soon, his eyes widened.
‘…Lee Sa-young?’
An aura similar to Lee Sa-young’s was emanating from nearby.