Chapter 257: Investigation
Honeybee quickly sized up Cha Eui-jae, her gaze full of suspicion. Good habit— suspicion was essential for a hunter. Cha Eui-jae raised his bare hands, signaling she could check for herself.
But instead of easing up, Honeybee's intent grew sharper, pricking him like needles.
"Don't let your guard down. Do you want to die?"
She shot back sharply, and the shadow moving slightly behind her froze. She didn't put away her rapier but instead backed up a bit. Cha Eui-jae raised his hands in a sign of surrender.
"It's , Honeybee."
But she didn't fall for it so easily. Scoffing loudly, she held her rapier toward him.
"Just wearing a mask doesn't make you J. Do you know how many impostors are out there?"
"…"
"Explain properly. If I find anything suspicious, I'll cut your head off."
"We t outside the dungeon, rember? You gave information on Lee Sa-young's whereabouts."
"…"
The heavy tension of her killing intent eased slightly. Cha Eui-jae didn't miss the chance to point behind him with his chin.
"Sa-young's here, too. You can check for yourself. He's hiding back there."
Hearing his na, Lee Sa-young peeked out from behind a fragnt of rock, grinning and waving lazily. Confirming his presence, Honeybee slowly lowered her weapon. Thank goodness it hadn't escalated further. She sighed as she sheathed her rapier. 4
"Hah… seeing that annoying face of yours, it must really be you…"
"Is that about ?"
"Is there anyone else around here showing their face? Anyway, J, I apologize for attacking suddenly. There are monsters that can pull mories from people's minds sotis…"
Honeybee bowed her head slightly, and Cha Eui-jae waved it off.
"No, no. I would've done the sa."
They shared an awkward laugh. Soon, Honeybee's smile disappeared, her expression turning serious as she pointed to the white ground. 1
"Let's get to the point. What are you two doing here?"
"We could ask you the sa thing. What are you doing here?"
Lee Sa-young strolled over and stood beside Cha Eui-jae. Honeybee glared in disbelief.
"Isn't it obvious? We're here to investigate an eroded dungeon. Then you two showed up."
Finally, the man carrying a large machine behind her revealed himself. He was a young man hunched over from the weight. Honeybee tapped the ground with her foot, then looked at Cha Eui-jae with a sharp gaze.
"I didn't think you were that crazy, but… You didn't enter our guild's dungeon without permission, did you?"
"Too bad… Guess I didn't live up to your expectations. Maybe next ti I'll sneak in." 1
Lee Sa-young sneered as he pulled an ID card from his coat pocket and showed it. "Jongno 3-ga underground dungeon entry pass." Honeybee read the text carefully and crossed her arms.
"It's a Pado Guild dungeon. Wait… are you saying you entered from there? So why are we eting here?"
"That's the strange part. Do you know anything? Any unusual signs?"
Honeybee glanced at the young man behind her, who cleared his throat and carefully spoke up.
"Um… Originally, this was a castle-type dungeon. Filled with vampire monsters… But recently, a path leading to this white eroded zone opened up after part of the castle collapsed."
"Since a new path appeared, we kept going further. It used to be blocked."
"Was this dungeon already affected by erosion?"
"No, not at all. Rember the day the big-mouthed monster showed up? The path appeared shortly after that."
"So the erosion…"
"It's a relatively recent event."
"And now it's connected to our dungeon from the inside…"
Lee Sa-young tilted his head slightly.
"Got any more details? Any other changes?"
Honeybee sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.
"To be honest, our guild has been struggling since the guild leader left. Team Leader Han and I have been running all over. We're barely keeping the guild together."
Lee Sa-young smirked, tapping his finger on his chin.
"Aha… so you haven't managed the dungeon properly. Didn't even check regularly." 1
"Excuse , we've kept up basic maintenance! And your guild is the weird one, obsessively checking every blade of grass that grows!"
"It's called being thorough."
"Right, sure."
Cha Eui-jae tugged at the back of Lee Sa-young's coat, signaling him to stop provoking. Thankfully, Lee Sa-young got the ssage and changed the subject. 1
"Is it still the sa? Matthew?"
ntioning Matthew seed to sour the mood. Both Honeybee and the young man's faces darkened significantly. Grinding her teeth, Honeybee answered, her voice tense.
"Still the sa." 1
She was grinding her teeth so hard, her words ca out distorted. Cha Eui-jae quickly tried to change the subject.
"Um, right… Have you encountered any monsters…"
"I wanted to confront Song Jo-heon about what he did, but Jung Bin kept stopping . Ha. Like I'd actually kill him?"
"Honestly, you might. I would've stopped you too."
"What?"
Lee Sa-young replied promptly. This guy wasn't even trying to put out the fire; he was pouring gasoline on it! Cha Eui-jae jabbed him in the back, almost a punch. Lee Sa-young flinched, then looked down at Cha Eui-jae as if to ask what he was doing. Cha Eui-jae quickly shook his head.
But the reckless mouth didn't stop. Lee Sa-young sneered and continued talking.
"I shared the location of the Protheus lab, but instead of gathering intel, you stirred things up so much it's hard to track anyone."
"…"
"If you're going to hunt, at least leave a few burrows to use as traps. When are you going to stop rushing into things without a plan?"
Honeybee lowered her head slightly. Cha Eui-jae bowed his head, too, feeling a bit of guilt. Her approach was strikingly similar to his own— charging in without thinking things through. The comparison was prickling his conscience. 1
At last, Honeybee lifted her head, her expression firm.
"Sorry. I got carried away by emotions."
"…"
"I thought it was the best choice at the ti… even though it wasn't."
"…It's enough that you know. I understand."
Lee Sa-young sighed softly, taking a step back. He then moved close to Cha Eui-jae, slipping his hand under the back of Cha Eui-jae's jacket. Cha Eui-jae ignored the hand and tried to maintain his calm as he asked, 5
"Did you encounter any monsters on the way here?"
"We found none, and it seed strange. It's like they're hiding when we're looking for them."
"Sa here. Were there any in the castle?"
"No, not a single one. It's as if they've all vanished. Or escaped sowhere…"
"…"
Cha Eui-jae scanned their surroundings with Tracker's Eye. But other than the people here, there were no signs of even the smallest monster or insects crawling along the ground. A desolate place, once two dungeons but now connected as one, with not a trace of life in sight. An empty shell.
…A shell?
A long-held unease stirred within him. An eroded dungeon was an invasion of a ruined world. Now that the warden was gone, the invasion would only accelerate.
What would happen if this ruined world fully rged with the present one?
Cha Eui-jae looked up at the hazy sky. White ash was falling. 6
***
It's after work, at a bus stop. A middle-aged man sits on a bench, his head hanging low. Each ti he coughs harshly, his body shakes. People around him, all wearing masks, keep a cautious distance, casting wary glances in his direction. On a small electronic display showing bus arrival tis, green letters flash:
[Seasonal colds are spreading, so please wear masks…]
Cough, cough, cough… The man's shoulders shudder even more violently. Among those casting sidelong glances, a man in a suit bravely steps forward. He carefully places a hand on the middle-aged man's shoulder. 1
"Are you… alright?"
The middle-aged man, his head still bowed, slowly lifts his gaze. The first thing the suited man notices is the damp mask clinging to the man's mouth, with a white liquid dripping from his chin. His eyes are a cloudy, opaque white. The middle-aged man— no, it opens its mouth.
"Eeeeeeek…"
A horrific screech escapes. The man in the suit collapses to the ground, trembling. Ah, ah, ah. His jaw clicks as it spasms, his body frozen in terror. The creature's form begins to twist, shedding its human shape. And then— 8
'It' opens its maw wide.
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