As they neared the eroded dungeon, the amount of drifting ash increased. The alleyways, roads, sidewalks, and street trees— once bustling with people— were already covered in white ash. The way the ash swirled in the air resembled falling snow. At a glance, one might even find it beautiful.
Cha Eui-jae stopped walking. A towering wall, taller than an electrical pole, blocked the road. It was likely a barrier erected by a hunter’s ability. The area was eerily silent, suggesting that all nearby residents had already been evacuated. Cha Eui-jae turned to Mackerel, who had followed him, and asked,
"What about the residents?"
"They were evacuated to the fish market a few days ago. Had a bad feeling. The Rift Managent Bureau was supposed to handle it before letting them return, but..."
"You did well."
Mackerel asked, his face serious.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Yeah."
Beyond the wall, an ominous energy writhed. It was like an active volcano, ready to erupt at any mont.
’It wouldn’t be strange if it exploded right now...’
A vision of a lifeless, white ocean flashed through his mind before vanishing. It was a chilling sight. Cha Eui-jae shook his head, pushing away the image of the dead sea. He had already suffered enough in the morial Dungeon to learn about this future. He couldn’t just stand by and watch.
’It has to be dealt with now.’
Cha Eui-jae turned around.
"Seo Min-gi-ssi, contact all the regional bureaus and have them issue a restricted access order for this entire area. A wide periter... all the way to the fish market."
"Understood."
"Mackerel, you—"
Mackerel blinked, waiting for the rest of the sentence. Cha Eui-jae hesitated for a long mont, unable to find the right words. Instead, he patted Mackerel’s shoulder a couple of tis.
"Stay by your brother’s side. Protect the residents too."
"What, are you kicking out?"
"You catch on quick."
"Hyung-nim, do you think I’m just a little minnow or sothing? I have combat abilities, you know."
As Mackerel clenched his fist, several goldfish appeared around him. Instead of criticizing the adorable but seemingly non-threatening creatures, Cha Eui-jae simply pointed to himself and asked,
"Can you fight better than ?"
Mackerel’s mouth shut tight. Cha Eui-jae lazily waved a hand.
"If not, you’re just in the way. Go."
Seo Min-gi, who was on a call, comnted sarcastically.
"With such an evil standard, who could possibly et your requirents? Truly wicked, custor."
"So what I’m saying is, I’d rather be alone. It’s easier to fight that way."
"How many monsters do you think will co out?"
"At most..."
Thanks to the morial Dungeon, he had even recalled mories he’d long forgotten.
Fighting against sheer numbers— he was good at that. Well, probably. It wasn’t his specialty at first, but after facing endless waves of monsters from the West Sea rift, it beca one. To survive, he had to learn.
’No way this is worse than the West Sea rift.’
Lessons learned through experience never fade easily. He pulled out a massive spear. The solid weight in his grip steadied his restless thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly.
The mont Cha Eui-jae placed his hand on the wall—
Boom!
The wall trembled.
"..."
The ominous energy beyond it roiled violently. Was it reacting to him? Or was it simply at its breaking point? There was no way to tell.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
With each impact, dust fell, and the ground shook as if struck by an earthquake. Cha Eui-jae tilted his head back, sizing up the wall, and muttered,
"Wait. I’ll open it for you..."
He spun his spear once and then slashed it diagonally across the wall. A streak of white light trailed behind the blade, swift and precise. And then—
The wall split open.
Crack! The sturdy structure fractured along the path of the light, tilting to one side. Thud, thud... As debris crashed to the ground, dust rose into the air. Cha Eui-jae didn’t care. The swirling mixture of dust and ash blurred his vision. At that mont,
Shraaaak—
A massive beast’s foot erged through the haze. Cha Eui-jae easily sidestepped it. The foot slamd down, leaving deep claw marks in the road. Grrr... A guttural growl rumbled through the ground. White ash scattered like a blizzard, obscuring his sight.
Boom...! The earth trembled. A colossal shadow lood over Cha Eui-jae. He lifted his gaze. A towering, pure-white lion stared down at him. Its mane billowed in the wind. Dungeon Break.
When a dungeon is left unattended for too long, it happens. If the number of monsters inside grows to a critical mass, the dungeon can no longer contain them, and they spill out. When that happens, the dungeon’s master— its most dominant presence— is also expelled.
Cha Eui-jae looked up at the lion, as tall as a four-story building, and muttered,
"So, you’re the dungeon’s master."
Had this thing mutated from soone? Had it once been human? If so, had it been soone he knew? There was no way to know anymore. Around the giant lion, monsters that had escaped the dungeon began to gather. Neither Cha Eui-jae nor the lion moved recklessly. They were asuring each other. How much force would it take? To kill the other. And beyond that, as Cha Eui-jae watched the growing horde of monsters, another thought crossed his mind—
Were they all once human?
Wiiiiiing— A siren wailed through the silent streets. The sound blared from people’s phones and speakers installed along the road, a grim announcent of the dungeon break.
[A Dungeon Break has occurred. Residents, please evacuate to designated shelters. Once again, a Dungeon Break has occurred. Residents, please evacuate to designated shelters. Your safety will be protected by the hunters...]
As Cha Eui-jae raised his massive spear, he aid it at the lion’s head, a clear signal of intent to fight. However, the lion did not roar in response or swing its massive paw at him. It rely stared at Cha Eui-jae for a mont...
Thud...
Then, it began walking past him.
"...Huh?"
Cha Eui-jae looked up at the enormous lion in utter disbelief as it passed by. Not only the lion but also the swarm of monsters following it didn’t spare him a single glance. Rather than attacking him, so of the smaller monsters even approached him affectionately, rubbing against his ankle. He watched the parade of monsters in a daze.
Was it a relief that they weren’t fighting?
Was he happy?
Did this an he could befriend the monsters?
No.
None of those things.
A cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. His spine chilled as an eerie realization settled in. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him.
’Shit, this is bad.’
The creatures of the eroded dungeon were not attacking him. They didn’t perceive him as an enemy. The whitening, the mutation, it was progressing.
’They recognize as one of their own?’
But that didn’t make sense. Every monster he had encountered until now had shown hostility. He had fought fiercely against the monsters of the eroded dungeon, too. When had this change begun? It didn’t take long for Cha Eui-jae to find the answer.
Ever since he left the morial Dungeon.
Tick. The sound of a clock’s second hand echoed in his ears. Cha Eui-jae looked down at a fluffy white monster rolling around near his feet. Before long, a larger monster, likely its mother, approached and picked it up in its jaws. Then, it lightly bumped its head against Cha Eui-jae’s thigh before following the procession. A thought crossed his mind, one he wouldn’t have entertained before.
’Were they a family when they were human, too?’
Until now, Cha Eui-jae had never fully realized that he was mutating. After all, apart from his changing hair color, nothing else seed different. But after experiencing the morial Dungeon, he rembered. He understood. What his hair color signified. The true origin of the monsters.
Looking at them, he couldn’t help but think of humans.
"..."
For the first ti, he feared that he might beco one of them.
"..."
No matter how much he tried to shake the thought, he couldn’t deny that he and these creatures were not so different.
And how powerful a thought could be. As Cha Eui-jae watched the procession of white monsters, he tightened his grip on his spear, his hands slick with sweat.
He understood them now, their thoughts, their actions. They were drawn to places teeming with life. They had to avenge their fallen kin. They needed to feed. They had to replace their lost numbers...
They were heading toward the fish market.
No!
Cha Eui-jae struck his weakened thigh with all his strength. The sharp sting jolted him back to his senses. A dark shadow was already rising ahead, Seo Min-gi had stepped in to block the procession. Cha Eui-jae started running with everything he had, shoving through the monsters that did nothing to stop him. He forced his way to the front of the horde.
"Seo Min-gi! Mackerel!"
He shouted their nas at the top of his lungs, but no response ca. Cha Eui-jae pushed through the monsters with his spear and arms, but they only let out disgruntled cries. They still didn’t attack him. That was even more terrifying.
And then, he finally reached the front of the procession.
He saw it. The lion’s massive paw swung downward, slow as if in a dream. Standing beneath it was a man in a black suit.
"...Min-gi-ssi!!"
Amidst the swirling white ash, crimson blood splattered through the air.
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