VSP 109

In that dungeon, Dogyeong had evolved into an EX-rank Hunter, only thanks to that, they were able to clear it. Otherwise, it was a dungeon so powerful that it seemed impossible to conquer.

A nightmare he never wanted to experience again.

And yet another dungeon like that is suddenly appearing in this peaceful world?

He couldn’t help wondering why, but if such a dungeon really emerged, there was only one thing hunters, Dogyeong included, could do.

“There’s only one thing we can do. Wipe out the dungeon.”

“That’s right. That’s all we can do.”

Na Yookyung sighed. Dogyeong wasn’t the only one who remembered the horrors of the Final Dungeon.

While it’s standard practice for only S-rank Hunters to enter S-rank dungeons, there was no time to consider that back then.

If the raid failed, Korea would fall, and furthermore, the dungeon would pose a threat to the entire world. Therefore, it wasn’t just S-rank hunters who were dispatched to clear the dungeon.

And countless sacrifices had been made there. How many of her guild members had died there?

“But somehow, I feel like it’ll be even more threatening than before.”

An ominous feeling of foreboding made her even more anxious. Her premonitions were always right, so even more so…

“I’m scared, Dogyeong.”

She was terrified. She felt that this time, everything would really fall apart.

“…”

Dogyeong remained silent at Na Yookyung’s uncharacteristically vulnerable remarks.

If Na Yookyung could say something like that, then it must be true…

How long has it been since the world became peaceful, only to face another trial like this?

But in the Final Dungeon, Dogyeong became an EX-rank hunter. The strategy had changed, there were no villains like the corrupted Association president who were doing useless things behind the scenes, and everyone else’s capabilities were better than before, if not worse. So, better than before, right?

And Seo Sejun…

Dogyeong instantly thought of Sejun and instinctively checked his phone.

Before entering the dungeon, he’d sent a message asking if he was awake and had eaten breakfast, and there was a reply to that message.

“Seo Sejun: I probably take better care of myself than you do?”

“Seo Sejun: You’re the one who needs to eat properly, there’s nothing in your house.”

Dogyeong, who had briefly swiped his phone screen at the seemingly indifferent message, sighed softly.

He’d thought he’d be happy to receive it, but instead he remembered Sejun’s dark expression as he tried to return the ring, saying he couldn’t accept it.

The look on his face almost seemed…guilty.

He’d wondered about this a few times, but now Dogyeong was genuinely curious about what was going on in that little head of his.

Given Sejun’s personality, even if the mood had carried them away that night, the fact that he’d gone that far with Dogyeong, a man, meant he was taking their relationship at least somewhat seriously.

Even if it was a combat item, it was still a ring. No matter how oblivious Sejun was about romance, he had to know what it meant for Dogyeong to give him something like that. So why?

The worries that had been troubling Dogyeong for the past few days seemed to fade for a moment as he spoke to Na Yookyung, then poked their heads out again.

“Ah.”

It’s annoying. It’s difficult. Seo Sejun, Sejun-hyung. There’s never been anyone as difficult as you in my life.

But he still couldn’t help feeling happy just by looking at the messages.

He admitted he’d fallen for him, but he didn’t realize how serious his condition was.

“Whatever.”

Dogyeong had been preoccupied with something else the entire time he was silent, so Na Yookyung spoke again.

“The strategy group discussion will come up soon. The rotation will probably be over by this or the next team.”

“Strategy group?”

“Right, the new Final Dungeon. There’s no need to hide it anymore, and we should share it with the S-ranks. We should at least discuss it among ourselves beforehand.”

That was right. If they couldn’t hide it any longer, they had to share the information and exchange opinions. The S-ranks were actually going to be the main strategy players.

But Dogyeong felt a stab in his gut in another sense. He couldn’t believe the thought that suddenly flashed through his mind.

He selfishly thought: “It’s dangerous, so I don’t want Seo Sejun to be included in that strategy.”

Damn it, Cha Dogyeong, how far down are you going to fall?

Dogyeong rubbed his face, overcome with a pang of self-loathing. His eyes stung for no reason, and he bit his lip hard enough to make it bleed, filling his mouth with a metallic taste. Seo Sejun wouldn’t want this either. He has such a strong sense of pride.

He’s someone with a needlessly strong sense of justice.

“…Yeah.”

Swallowing back his words and feelings, Dogyeong nodded.

A cold wind blew.

•••

When Cha Dogyeong and Na Yookyung finished their raid and stepped outside, for some reason, there were a lot of people around the dungeon.

Normally, when a dungeon appeared, a considerable number of personnel are deployed to control civilians and manage the entry and exit of hunters, but when the two entered, there weren’t this many people. No particular reason for the sudden increase in the number of people could come to mind.

But this time, as soon as they emerged from the dungeon, countless people greeted them. There was a strangely loud and tumultuous atmosphere.

As if something had happened.

“What? What happened?”

Na Yookyung muttered, seemingly puzzled, just as the people bustling about spotted the two hunters.

“They’re out!”

“They’re out!”

“Finally!”

As soon as they confirmed that Cha Dogyeong and Na Yookyung had finished their raid, the crowd suddenly started shouting and running around in panic. Their gestures weren’t so much panic as they were in a state of urgency, unsure of what to do next.

But that didn’t last long. A man who appeared to be in charge suddenly approached the two and began explaining the situation.

As the explanation continued, Cha Dogyeong’s expression changed constantly, definitely not for the better.

“Three hunters are in right now!”

Especially when he heard that three hunters had been urgently dispatched, he refused to listen and just left.

“Hurry up…!”

The person who had been speaking trailed off with a dumbfounded “Huh?” at Dokyung’s sudden movement. Na Yookyung, who had grasped the situation faster than anyone else, quickly grabbed him as he was about to leave.

Everyone was in a hurry, so she completely lost her composure and clicked her tongue.

“Dogyeong, calm down.”

She quickly continued before Cha Dogyeong could lose his temper.

“I frequent that neighborhood, so I know a shortcut. Let’s take my car.”

Instead of repeating “calm down”, she quickly found a solution and led Cha Dogyeong towards the scene.

With no one to block the hunters from heading to the scene, the two were able to get into Na Yookyung’s car and head there without delay.

Na Yookyung’s claim to know the way around seemed to be true. At first, she followed the navigation for a bit, but at some point, she began to zip through the streets of Seoul, taking routes unrelated to the navigation.

“…….”

Dogyeong, sitting in the passenger seat, searched for Sejun’s among the countless messages he had received while in the dungeon.

There was nothing. Seeing no messages from him made something inside Dogyeong boil in a way he couldn’t name. His chest felt tight, which told him his head definitely wasn’t taking it positively.

“Fuck, why now?”

How could the timing be this bad? It wasn’t some scripted drama, why did everything have to line up so perfectly wrong?

Watching Dogyeong roughly rake his hands through his hair, Na Yookyung stepped harder on the accelerator. They were already going fast enough to collect a mountain of speeding tickets, but she didn’t care.

Dogyeong, who was perusing the accumulated official communications and scouring the internet for related news to get a handle on the situation, quickly noticed something unusual.

“…Taeseong Department Store live body cam?”

At that mutter, Na Yookyung, who was focused on driving, glanced at Dogyeong.

“What’s that?”

“Looks like someone sold the body cam connection signal again.”

“Again?”

Na Yookyung clicked her tongue. This wasn’t the first or second time this had happened.

Korea was considered a developed country when it came to dungeons. While it was, the laws were slow to change, so even today, hunters often lacked proper legal protection.

Thanks to this, incidents like this one often occurred, making you wonder, “How can such absurd things happen with such a well-established system?”

The most frequent occurrence was bodycam hacking. It was a completely different matter than just pirating a game a day or two early. How long are they going to let this go unchecked?

Na Yookyung, who, as an S-rank hunter, had suffered several bodycam hacks, shook her head.

Clicking on the hot live video, Dogyeong was greeted by a screen divided into three.

It wasn’t hard to tell which of the three was Sejun’s. The screen on the left, with the blue tiger, was Sejun’s.

The problem was that, unlike the other two peaceful videos, which resembled department store vlogs, this one was a constant state of urgency.