Chapter 22: Red Dungeon Assault Failed

Returning to reality, I grabbed the coffee and dessert I had ordered and sat down at an empty table.

It was a spot with a good view of the giant screen at the center of the Association.

On the screen, the Red Dungeon was being shown, with various experts sharing their opinions about the current raid.

-Do you think Korea will really be able to conquer the Red Dungeon?

-I think it’s entirely possible.

-Can you tell us why you think so?

-It’s not official information from the United States of America or China, but they say that with 10 A-Rank Hunters, you can clear a B-Rank Red Dungeon.

-Isn’t that only possible because the United States of America and China have experience?

-That could be. That’s why we’ve gathered all of Korea’s forces, with 20 A-Rank Hunters and 10 B-Rank Hunters.

-That’s right. We’ve assembled the top Rankers in Korea.

-The Association has also made thorough preparations. For the first Red Dungeon, we’re determined to clear it no matter what. Especially, Captain Kang Chanseok is very skilled…

Even the experts said it.

‘There really is too little information about the Red Dungeon.’

What kind of rewards will appear.

What’s inside.

What the boss monster is like.

There’s not a single thing that’s properly known.

The only thing that’s even somewhat known is that you can obtain a Level Stone and an S-rank Skillbook as rewards.

Even this information wouldn’t have become known if it weren’t for those other countries that bought Red Dungeons from the United States of America and China.

It probably would have never been revealed.

‘Even what’s known was because of a Hunter’s mistake.’

A Hunter who raided a Red Dungeon, in his excitement at receiving a special reward, bragged about it, and his words spread live.

But that was as far as it went.

After that, no more information about the Red Dungeon was released.

What kind of enemies appear inside.

What kind of traps there are.

How different it is from regular Dungeons.

How strong the boss monster is.

Korea, which hadn’t received any Red Dungeons, had no way of knowing.

‘Does the Association know, at least?’

I shook my head.

They wouldn’t even hand over the Red Dungeon itself.

There’s no way they would have handed over any related information.

Unless there was a spy planted somewhere, the Korean Hunter Association probably didn’t know anything either.

‘Judging by how they’ve assembled the very best for this raid… I guess there’s no spy either.’

I took a bite of the sweet cake and focused on the screen again.

-So if our country successfully conquers the Red Dungeon this time, will anything major change?

-It’ll change tremendously.

-Could you tell us more in detail?

-First of all, we’ll have an informational advantage regarding the Red Dungeon, and it’ll become possible to continually raid them. If that happens, the chances of an S-rank Hunter emerging become very high.

-An S-rank Hunter?

-Yes. There’s something called a Level Stone, which is one of the Red Dungeon’s rewards. If an A-Rank Hunter uses this Level Stone, they’ll gain abilities on par with an S-rank Hunter.

-It must be very hard to obtain, right?

-Yes. It’s not easy. But now that our country produces Red Dungeons, it’s only a matter of time. We’ll get one eventually.

-But for that, the Hidden Piece Discoverer has to keep staying in Korea. Will they really stay?

-According to the Korean Hunter Association President, they’ve agreed to stay. Unless Korea pushes them away, I doubt they’ll leave.

Back when I was working as a Dungeon miner, I might have thought differently.

But now that I’ve become a Hunter, I have no intention of leaving.

‘Because I made a promise. I have to keep it.’

The one who saved me from death.

The hero I admired.

The promise I made with him.

“When you become a Hunter, you must become someone who protects our country, just like me, alright?”

That’s the one thing I absolutely intend to keep.

-An urgent breaking news!

-The raid party has failed to clear the Red Dungeon. Reporter Park Jeong-mi, please report from the scene.

At the urgent voice, I turned my gaze to the screen.

The Red Dungeon appeared on the screen.

Around it, Hunters could be seen.

Their armor was in tatters, and all of them were lying on the ground, bleeding.

-This is reporter Park Jeong-mi. Currently, in front of the Red Dungeon, there are Hunters who made an emergency escape, but it appears that some Hunters have not been able to get out of the Red Dungeon.

-And since the raid has failed, a Dungeon Break is expected to occur soon.

-The Association has issued an evacuation order for the Yongin Choi In-gu area, and for anyone who hasn’t yet heard the news, please evacuate now after seeing this broadcast.

They failed to clear the Red Dungeon?

No matter how little information there was, it was strange that they couldn’t clear it with that much power.

‘…Something’s not right.’

The control center set up near the Red Dungeon.

Lee Changgeon was reviewing the details of the Red Dungeon contract on his tablet.

In his heart, he wanted to monopolize all the Red Dungeons.

But realistically, it was impossible.

Rather than being greedy for what he couldn’t handle, it was better to take reasonable profits.

‘I need to make up for all the Dungeons I lost when we lost the 24th floor, starting with Dungeon supply.’

To nurture Hunters, Dungeons were more essential than anything else.

More than anything.

To achieve good results in the upcoming Hall of Glory, he had to supply high-grade Dungeons.

“President.”

“H.”

“Something seems off.”

At his secretary’s words, Lee Changgeon lifted his head.

The Red Dungeon came into view at a glance.

The color of the blazing red spiral portal was starting to deepen. There was only one phenomenon where the color deepened.

Dungeon Break.

That meant the raid party that had entered had failed their raid.

Wooooong!

With a white flash from inside the red portal, a mass of Hunters poured out.

“Keuuugh!”

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“Po… Potion. Bring a Potion!”

The armor they had worn inside was all torn to shreds, and blood gushed from deep wounds.

Some had lost consciousness.

Some writhed in agony.

And the rest just stood there, trembling blankly.

Lee Changgeon quickly got up and ran to the scene.

“Deploy the emergency standby team around the Red Dungeon and get all civilians outside! Anyone with free hands, grab Potions and follow me!”

“Yes!”

Those who had been on standby for emergencies moved quickly.

They tended to the Hunters’ wounds.

They used highest-grade Potions to save lives.

Amidst the orderly activity, Lee Changgeon looked for Kang Chanseok, who had led the raid party.

In front of the Red Dungeon, he stood with both fists clenched.

He looked furious.

Lee Changgeon approached him.

“Are you alright?”

“President. I’m sorry. We failed the raid.”

“What exactly happened inside?”

“We definitely… definitely succeeded in killing the boss monster… But then it suddenly came back to life… and while we let our guard down, we were all wiped out.”

Kang Chanseok could barely speak.

“If the Dungeon Break erupts, do you think you can stop it?”

“We… won’t be able to stop it.”

“Understood. You did well.”

Lee Changgeon patted Kang Chanseok’s shoulder and handed him a highest-grade Potion. Then he looked for his secretary to grasp the overall situation.

“What’s the situation?”

“Five dead, ten injured, five missing.”

“Missing?”

“Yoo Seolha and five Hunters from the Sword Pavilion are unaccounted for.”

“They didn’t make it out?”

“That seems to be the case.”

Lee Changgeon’s gaze turned to the Red Dungeon.

The red portal, growing ever darker, was slowly turning black.

Now, there really wasn’t much time left.

“Are the reporters still here?”

“Yes.”

“Go tell them to report the situation on the scene and evacuate all civilians in Choi In-gu. We don’t have enough manpower, so ask the nearby military units for help as well.”

“Yes.”

“And leave only those who can fight; evacuate everyone else.”

“Understood.”

Watching his secretary deliver instructions quickly, Lee Changgeon took out his phone.

It would be difficult to stop the Red Dungeon Break by themselves.

To prevent greater losses—

He would have to get someone’s help.

S-rank Hunters from other countries.

‘…The moment we accept help, we’ll lose the initiative.’

They could produce Red Dungeons.

But they couldn’t clear them themselves.

The United States of America and China would make it an issue, and the citizens would be afraid.

They might not even be able to trade Red Dungeons, and the worst-case scenario would be having to just hand them over.

‘…Let’s not hesitate.’

This wasn’t something to hesitate over when lives were at stake.

Lee Changgeon was about to dial a number from his contacts.

[President. Are there Hunters who couldn’t get out of the Red Dungeon?]

The voice of the Hidden Piece Discoverer came through.

【There are.】

【I’ll go in and take a look.】

Lee Changgeon’s gaze turned to the Red Dungeon.

Someone with their hood pulled up stood there.

He was about to enter the Red Dungeon.

【Wait a moment. Hold on. I don’t know how strong you are, but even A-Rank Hunters couldn’t clear it…】

[It’s alright.]

[Then at least wait a moment. I’ll try to get you some inside information.]

【That’s fine too. I can see everything.】

With those words, the hooded figure entered the Red Dungeon.

Lee Changgeon swallowed hard.

“He can… see the information of the Red Dungeon?”

He checked the Dungeon information with the Golden Dragon Eye.

[Red Dungeon (B)]

-Eliminate the Apostle (B+) who failed to accept the Shard of Divinity and became corrupted.

-The corrupted Apostle’s ability is Blood Art.

-It possesses Physical Damage Immunity and is weak to magic attacks.

-There is a candidate for Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God.

-Corrupted Apostle 0/1

-Reward: B-rank Skillbook, B-rank Magic Stone.

A candidate for Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God.

I didn’t know how they got in.

‘So that’s the reason for the failure.’

I moved inside the Dungeon.

[Entering the Red Dungeon.]

The atmosphere inside the Dungeon was desolate.

Pools of red liquid reached up to my ankles, and the sky was dark. The crimson moon created a dreamlike atmosphere—it felt like a scene from a horror movie.

“Orc, Goblin, Park Chanseong, Summon.”

Shuaaaak!

With a burst of white light, the Guardians appeared.

“Spread out in all directions and look for survivors. Report to me immediately if you find anyone.”

[Understood.]

“Yes.”

I quickly cast Haste and Telepathy magic on the Guardians as they spread out.

Then I moved as well.

I lightened my body with Haste and ran toward the Black Castle visible ahead.

“…Are those enemies?”

In the distance, lumps of liquid in the shape of red wolves rushed toward me.

[Using Golden Dragon Eye.]

[Corrupted Apostle’s Clone (C)]

-Strong against physical attacks, weak against magic attacks.

-A clone created by the main body; when the clone is destroyed, the main body’s power weakens.

Clones created by Blood Art.

“Ice Spear.”

Dozens of ice spears formed in an instant and shot straight ahead.

Shweeeeeeeek!

White frost whirled everywhere, sweeping away the enemies ahead. The red wolves brushed by the Ice Spear all froze solid.

Crack crack crack!

And then they all shattered into icy powder.

“…It’s not just a few.”

I dealt with the continuously charging red wolves as I moved forward.

Eventually, I arrived at the Black Castle.

At the top of the castle visible ahead, there were four red Blood Crosses, and on one of them, a familiar face was hanging.

‘Yoo Seolha’

Next to her, a woman wearing clothes with the Sword Pavilion’s crest was stroking Yoo Seolha’s face.

I checked with the Golden Dragon Eye.

That woman was the candidate for Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God.

‘Han Na-ri?’

As befitted an Apostle candidate, everything except her name was filled with question marks, so it was hard to get detailed information.

“Hm. So there was still an uninvited guest left?”

Han Na-ri’s cold gaze turned toward me.

At the same time, the red pool on the ground rippled.

Something in the shape of a beast emerged from within.

[Using Golden Dragon Eye.]

[Corrupted Apostle (A)]

-An Apostle who failed to accept the Shard of Divinity and became corrupted. All stats have increased due to the Dragon God’s blessing.

-Overall stats: A

-Potential: C

-Possessed items: None

-Possessed Skills: Blood Wolf Summon (B), Blood Magic (B), Physical Damage Immunity (A), Lightning God’s Blessing (?)

So that’s the master of the Red Dungeon.

“Kill him.”

At Han Na-ri’s chilling command, the corrupted Apostle let out a howl.

“Awoooooooo!”

With a long, drawn-out howl—

Hundreds, thousands of red wolves emerged from the crimson pool.

A massive army encircled the Black Castle.

The Apostle’s clones glared at me with blood-red eyes.

“Fryra.”

Shuaaaak!

A cute girl with flowers in her hair appeared. She stood by my side, arms full of flowers.

[Did you call for me?]

“Let’s clean those things up.”

Fryra threw the flowers in her hands all around, using Overgrowth and Rampage Touch.

The colorful attribute flowers she had grown herself.

The rapidly growing flowers devastated the surroundings.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

KWAANG!