85 – HGL 85

“….”

A sleep-pants-clad figure wearing a ball cap stopped abruptly. But the hiker and the young man didn’t stop. Rather, their pace seemed to quicken. What confidence! Min-hoon took out a stun gun from his Inventory, held it in his hand, and with his hand on the call button, warned again.

“If you come any closer―”

But suddenly, interrupting his words, the hiker raised his trekking pole with a flourish.

“Attack!”

“Cluck!”

Startled by the sharp cry of a chicken, he turned around, and in that instant,

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Something smooth, round, and blunt struck Min-hoon in the face. He slumped onto the chair with a short scream. The round object that had knocked Min-hoon unconscious stepped on his body, climbed onto the desk, and announced the completion of its mission into the microphone.

“Cluck.”

The hiker, Hong Ye-seong, shouted triumphantly.

“Good job, Cluck!”

Hong Ye-seong tucked the pole under his arm, took out a round device, and pressed a button. The sphere split in half, and a blue electric field swept around, making the hair of the three people stand on end. At the same time, a spark popped from the machine inside the management office, and all the lights inside went out.

He rubbed his hands together with a sly smile.

“That’s why I made this equipment. I’ve always wanted to do this at least once.”

Hahahaha… Hong Ye-seong threw back his head and laughed heartily. Yoon Ga-eul, who had crept closer to Eui-jae, muttered.

“…Is it really okay to do this? Won’t the Wave Guild contact us later?”

Eui-jae answered with vacant eyes.

“Well… I’ve been expecting something like this since the moment we brought that guy here.”

He was the kind of guy who would commit terrorism with black powder and kidnap people even at the Artisan Exhibition, which was full of Rankers and bodyguards assigned to him. So, in a place with no one watching him? It was obvious he would be flying around with excitement. And he was actually flying around.

Hong Ye-seong was a headache when he was an enemy, and competent but still a headache when he was an ally. Eui-jae closed his eyes, watching the back of the hiker jumping up and down.

Yoon Ga-eul had learned how to coax Hong Ye-seong very well from Jung-bin. The Artisan, who had been wary, covering himself with a mat in the corner, wondering if they had come to catch him, melted away whenever Ga-eul smiled brightly and shouted…

“The best Artisan!”

“A genius!”

“Truly the best potter!”

You could see his cheekbones rising under his mask. Besides, the plan to sneak into the Dungeon, bypassing the guards, seemed quite appealing to him.

Hong Ye-seong, who had been listening intently to Ga-eul’s story, murmured with a sweetly melted face.

“My favorite movies are the 007 series and Mission: Impossible.”

Yoon Ga-eul replied promptly.

“If you come with us, you can become Tom Cruise, Hong Ye-seong.”

Yeah, you can be Tom Cruise too. It was the perfect wedge. Hong Ye-seong, already soaked in the sweetness of breaking away from the norm, shouted his acceptance with vigor. Thanks to recruiting the best Doraemon, they arrived at Jongno 3-ga without having to call a taxi or wait for the first subway train, using Hong Ye-seong’s emergency escape paper.

“…Anyway, it’s a good thing for me.”

If Eui-jae had come alone, he would have spent quite a bit of time just destroying the surveillance cameras one by one. Is this why protagonists travel with companions? Lost in a strange sentiment, Cluck returned leisurely, carrying a card in its beak. It was the guard’s ID card.

The passage leading to the entrance of the Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon was firmly blocked by a thick, massive iron door. When Ga-eul swiped the ID card on the machine installed next to the door, the heavy door slowly opened with a grinding sound.

At the end of the dark tunnel, the Dungeon entrance shimmered with blue light. Ga-eul took a deep breath.

“We’re… going to go in, look around the area around the invaded entrance, and come right back out. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go! I wanted to see an Invasion Dungeon with my own eyes.”

Hong Ye-seong was excited, so that was to be expected, but Ga-eul looked very nervous. She kept rubbing the cold sweat on her palms. Eui-jae, staring at the swirling entrance, asked quietly.

“Is this your first time entering a Dungeon?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I went in once when I was getting training at the Bureau of Rift Management. …But this is my first time going in for real.”

Ga-eul rubbed the back of her neck and muttered awkwardly.

“Well, Jung-bin and the others were very considerate. They told me students should study… and that I could enter Dungeons after I became an adult. They also told me to reveal that I was an S-rank Hunter after I became an adult.”

Hong Ye-seong, with Cluck on his head, nodded seriously.

“That’s right, what’s a kid doing going into a Dungeon? They should be busy playing.”

“….”

“Kids shouldn’t fight.”

For some reason, he felt a fluttering in his chest. A world where minors are naturally protected. Yes, things are different now than in the past. Eui-jae roughly rubbed his face for no reason. Hong Ye-seong continued to chatter.

“But are there Monsters inside?”

“Yes, there probably are.”

“Oh, should we prepare to run away?”

“If possible.”

Listening to the pointless talk, the fluttering disappeared far away. Good. The battle will be my responsibility. It might be better to go in alone.

It was the moment when Eui-jae, alternating between Ga-eul’s somehow determined face and Ye-seong’s face, which showed no sense of crisis at all, took a breath. Hong Ye-seong, who seemed to be pondering something, turned to Eui-jae.

“But can Secretary fight a little?”

“…As much as necessary.”

“Ooh. What weapon do you use? Do you use a sword?”

The weapon he mainly used was a spear, but… he couldn’t say that directly. Besides, he used various things besides spears. He even used a green onion as a weapon. Eui-jae replied casually.

“Anything.”

Hong Ye-seong began to pout as if he was about to complain. Eui-jae quickly added an explanation as if to ask him to believe him.

“I use anything I can get my hands on. I really don’t care about anything.”

“Hmm, is that so…. Even better.”

Hong Ye-seong rubbed his chin and began to take out all sorts of weapons from his Inventory. Clang, clang, precious weapons were thrown haphazardly onto the hard concrete floor. Ga-eul was shocked.

“Is it okay to throw those on the ground like that?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You can sharpen them with a whetstone. Take your pick, Secretary. Is there anything you like?”

Even a quick glance showed that they were high-quality weapons that every Hunter would covet. He wondered why these weren’t put up for the Artisan Exhibition. Eui-jae passed by the dazzling hammer, the huge sword, and the bow, and grabbed a long, slender staff.

“This will do.”

“Huh, there are better weapons, you know?”

“I think this will be the most comfortable. By the way, Hong Ye-seong, are you capable of fighting?”

“Huh? I have Cluck, you know.”

“Cluck!”

Cluck cried, raising one wing. He was going to entrust the battle to that small, cute, unfinished-looking chicken and hide behind it himself? Hong Ye-seong, examining Eui-jae’s face, narrowed his eyes.

“What is it? That look of contempt? I’ll have to show you how well our Cluck fights.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Let’s show them, Cluck!”

Hong Ye-seong, who had put his sunglasses back on his forehead, pointed forward.

“Cluck, fire!”

“Clu, clu, clu….”

Cluck, who had been opening and closing its mouth, crowed loudly.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Whoosh! A fierce blue flame burst from its open beak. Cluck pretended to puff out its chest as if it was proud. Although it didn’t actually puff out.

Ga-eul, who was standing next to him, muttered.

“It’s a fire chicken….”

Eui-jae looked at Hong Ye-seong awkwardly and finished preparing to enter the Dungeon. He had to protect not only Yoon Ga-eul but also Hong Ye-seong. Check.

At that moment, a pure white System Window poured out in front of his eyes. Eui-jae’s eyes widened.

[You have met the title unlock requirements.]

[Achievement Condition: Re-enter ■■]

[The locked title has been unlocked.]

[Title: ■■■ ■■■]

Kugugugung, the ground beneath his feet rumbled. Eui-jae grabbed the arms of Ye-seong and Ga-eul, who were losing their balance, and held on. Broken buildings rose from the ground in various places where ash had accumulated. Cracks began to appear in the pure white sky. And―

[Congratulations on unlocking the title, J!]

[Your title is Conqueror of Solitude.]

[The Dungeon reacts to the title!]

[The Dungeon is being restructured!]

Krrrr!

A huge lightning bolt struck. His vision turned pure white. Feeling the sensation of the arms in his grasp drifting away, Eui-jae clenched his empty hand.

Swish….

Pure white ash scattered along the slowly blowing wind. A man rummaging through the wreckage with a long stick roughly shook his head. Then he looked up at the pale sky, where a pure white hole was swirling. In the Rift and the sky inside the Dungeon, the Black Hole that had become commonplace since the Day of the Rift was not visible.

Then what is that thing occupying the sky?

Regular footsteps are heard. Jung-bin was approaching, brushing off the white ash that had fallen on his shoulder.

“Have you found anything, Lee Sa-young?”

“No.”

Sa-young replied indifferently, looking around. Jung-bin nodded and opened his mouth, but then Sa-young turned his head sharply. It was towards the entrance they had entered. Jung-bin, who turned his head following him, asked with a puzzled face.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Jung-bin.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Did you call for additional support?”

“No. Only Lee Sa-young and I are conducting the investigation of this Invasion Dungeon.”

Sharp purple eyes stared into the distance. Sa-young moved his lips.

“…Someone came in.”

Jung-bin’s expression also changed. And as if to prove Lee Sa-young’s words,

Rumble…

The ground began to rumble.