By Zephyria J stared silently at Jung-bin. Jung-bin, who was rubbing his nose for no reason, glanced at him. The ends of his dark hair, which had drooped considerably, were slightly damp. Jung-bin gestured towards J’s hair.
“Looks like you just came from washing up.”
“Ah, yes.”
J touched the ends of his hair with his fingertips. He tried to dry it, but it was still damp.
“There was quite a bit of blood on you. You can’t get on the helicopter like that.”
“…You’re going somewhere else right away. Where are you going this time?”
“A Dungeon in Chungju, I believe.”
“You’re working too hard. You should get some rest.”
His tone was full of concern and displeasure. J chuckled briefly at the unexpected words. Jung-bin, who traveled around the country as much as he did, was hardly one to talk. J replied lightly.
“There’s a shortage of manpower, so what can you do? Aren’t you going anywhere else today?”
“Ah, no. Not for now. I have interrogation schedules lined up all day today.”
Jung-bin tapped the earpiece he was wearing.
“But I’ll have to go if I get a call.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than J’s watch vibrated. Judging by the loud wind and the sound of propellers, a helicopter seemed to be ready on the roof. Jung-bin’s face darkened rapidly.
“…Speak of the devil… I’m sorry.”
“It’s nothing. Looks like the helicopter’s here, so I’ll be going. Get some rest.”
J walked past Jung-bin towards the stairs leading upwards. Jung-bin, who had been blankly watching his back, hurriedly called out.
“Just a moment, J!”
J’s mask popped out from the upper stair railing. Jung-bin was about to rummage through his pockets to take something out. A loud voice shouted from somewhere.
“Hey, you crazy brat! Quickly bring Jung-bin Hunter here!”
“W-What should I tell him?”
“Tell him that a Hunter in custody is causing a ruckus, what else!”
“……”
“Sigh, we’re both busy.”
J waved his hand and disappeared up the stairs. Left alone, Jung-bin clenched the thing in his hand tightly. With a snap, the energy bar in his hand broke in two. The commotion was growing louder.
Haa… He let out a long sigh and pressed his earpiece.
“Yes, I heard about the disturbance. I’ll be there soon.”
Jung-bin looked up at the stairs leading upwards, then stepped onto the stairs leading downwards.
Squeak… The huge body collapsed onto the floor with a deflating sound. Thud, the floor vibrated. J, who was indifferently watching the scene, wiped the blood off his spear and put it into his Inventory.
The Chungju Dungeon was cleared faster than expected. Thanks to being located in a remote, sparsely populated mountain area, there were no civilians to rescue, the Dungeon’s rank wasn’t very high, and the Dungeon itself was small to begin with.
J stared silently at the huge bird that had collapsed on the floor, the Master of the Dungeon, and thought.
‘The Hunters here could have handled this themselves.’
A little while ago, when J got out of the car at the foot of the mountain and arrived near the Dungeon entrance. Several Hunters were already gathered in a circle in front of the entrance. They had bandages wrapped around various parts of their bodies, and they seemed to be arguing about something while holding cigarettes in their hands.
Why aren’t they going in? J, who was hiding behind a tree, was wondering when a Hunter raised his voice.
“No, it’s so frustrating. I contacted the Awakened Management Bureau! J is coming himself! There’s no need for us to go in!”
“Huh? No, Hyung, why are you calling J! Our team can handle this Dungeon just fine…”
“Hey, you moron. J only needs to swing his spear once to clear it, huh? Do we really have to risk our lives fighting the Master of the Dungeon ourselves? Huh? Do you have two lives?”
“……”
“Seung-min’s arm hasn’t even healed yet, still. Shit…, he almost had to have his arm amputated, and I can’t watch that happen again. Everyone has their own role to play.”
The Hunter, who had scolded him roughly, blew out a puff of cigarette smoke. The white smoke billowed and scattered into the sky.
“No matter how much we struggle, we can’t compare to a hero. You guys will thank me later.”
Crack. A twig snapped under his feet. The eyes of the gathered Hunters turned to the source of the sound. J didn’t hesitate and revealed himself from behind the tree. Their faces were filled with shock when they saw the black mask and black combat suit. The surrounding air grew heavy.
“……”
J slowly approached and stood in front of the Dungeon entrance. Someone swallowed hard. J didn’t even glance at them. He simply walked silently into the Dungeon.
‘Saving people is something that should be done, of course.’
There was no doubt about that. But. Every time other people took his actions for granted, he couldn’t help but feel exhausted…
Woo-oong… The air vibrated slightly, and the Dungeon’s exit appeared behind the Master’s corpse. Thanks to that, his unpleasant memories were cut short. J stared blankly at the shimmering exit. Nevertheless, once the floodgates were opened, his thoughts continued to flow like water.
‘There’s nothing that should be taken for granted in this world, but…’
He closed his eyes. The image of the Hunters with bandages wrapped around their bodies flashed through his mind. The Hunters holding weapons with casts on their arms. They also looked quite exhausted. But,
‘There’s no need for me to step in…’
Before the thought could even finish, he took off his mask and slapped himself hard on both cheeks! His cheeks flushed hotly. He was a handsome young man, but his cool face still had a hint of boyishness. He rummaged through his pockets and took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes.
He put a cigarette in his mouth and clicked the cheap lighter. He lit it and took a deep drag. But only for a moment.
Cough, cough, J coughed roughly, his shoulders shaking. Tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily. Silence returned as the coughing subsided. The cigarettes he had bought and only smoked a few times felt unfamiliar. But the air of the Dungeon, which he entered as often as he ate, still felt unfamiliar.
“…Haa.”
He probably would never get used to it. This much.
After the Chungju Dungeon, there was a Rift that appeared in Mangwon-dong. It was an absorption-type Rift, so it had swallowed all the surrounding buildings. J closed his eyes as he listened to the tedious briefing. Yes, this was better. It was better to be constantly busy than to have useless thoughts.
As if they had arrived at their destination, the helicopter’s altitude gradually decreased. J jumped lightly out of the helicopter. Thud, his feet hit the ground with a jarring thud.
The area near the Rift was filled with only empty space, as if it had been swallowed by something. As they got closer to their destination, the screams and shouts of the people grew louder.
“J!”
“J has arrived!”
“Ah, we’re saved…”
Sighs of relief erupted from all directions. J’s eyes narrowed. There were too many people around the Rift entrance.
‘Has the rescue team not entered yet?’
Then a Hunter came running up.
“May I report to you, J?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“A rescue team entered the Rift, but the inside is completely covered in Poison… They came right back out. The situation is very serious.”
“…Poison?”
“Yes, yes! They couldn’t even go very far and everyone…”
J slowly looked around. There was a white tent set up a little ways away from the Rift, and under it, Hunters with blackened bodies were lying on the ground, groaning.
One Hunter had his face buried in a bucket and was vomiting dark red blood. Another Hunter clutched his blackened, melting arm and wailed. It was a scene of utter chaos. The Hunter in charge of the report muttered.
“There are probably no survivors inside. Even Hunters can’t withstand the Poison… You should just quickly deal with the Master of the Rift as soon as possible…”
“……”
“Here, take some extra Antidote with you. It’s not the best, but…”
The Hunter took out several bottles filled with purple liquid from his Inventory and held them out. But J shook his head.
“I’ll only take half. Use the rest to treat the people.”
And not long after, J, who had entered the Rift, rarely regretted it.
‘…I should have just taken it all.’
He frowned. A pungent, acrid smell stung the tip of his nose.
The inside of the Rift, which he had entered through the entrance, was a completely different world. The collapsed buildings were melted by the black Poison and were unrecognizable, and giant salamanders and toads were flicking their tongues and sticking only their eyes out of the black swamp. J quickly made a decision.
‘If the inside is like this, there are no survivors…’
There probably aren’t.
J properly adjusted his mask. He could trust his body to withstand most Poison. But it was uncertain whether his body could withstand an environment completely surrounded by Poison like this Rift. In fact, his body was getting heavier little by little every time he breathed.
Whether it was the toxic gas rising from the swamp or the Poison gas, it was foolish to last long.
‘Deal with the Master of the Rift as quickly as possible and escape.’
But as always, J’s plan didn’t go as planned.
Just before he kicked off the ground and ran out, he closed his eyes and focused his senses. The presence of numerous Monsters, the presence of the giant Master of the Dungeon, and…
The small sound of a heartbeat that caught his ear.
J’s eyes widened.