Chapter 23: Red Dungeon Assault

Where did it all go wrong?

Yoo Seolha clung to her hazy memories, piecing everything together step by step from the beginning.

‘After entering the Red Dungeon…’

They had hunted the Red Wolves and safely arrived at the place where the Black Castle stood.

There, the Boss Monster was waiting.

-Awooooooo!

The moment the raid party faced the Boss Monster, it summoned hundreds of Red Wolves.

The Immortal Guild took on the Boss Monster.

The remaining guilds handled the Red Wolves.

-Doesn’t it seem weaker than before?

-What’s changed from earlier?

-Aside from the reduced number of Red Wolves…

-Could it be that taking out the summoned beasts weakens it? Let’s deal with the summoned beasts first!

-This feels like the right approach!

They figured out the Boss’s pattern and weakness.

The moment they found the answer, the strategy unfolded smoothly.

Once they wiped out the Red Wolves, the Boss Monster became incredibly weak.

It reached a point where anyone in the dungeon could have taken it down.

-Everyone, great work. Let’s finish up and head back.

Just as raid leader Kang Chanseok raised his sword and approached the Boss Monster—

A bolt of lightning struck the Boss Monster’s head.

Crackle!

With that, the Boss Monster, which had lost its strength, regained its power. It grew even larger. And more summoned beasts appeared.

Thousands of Red Wolves surrounded them.

-Stay calm! Just do as we’ve done so far. Don’t hold back on Potions, and hunt the Red Wolves first!

The raid party moved according to Kang Chanseok’s orders, but—

-Aaaagh!

-The Boss Monster is too strong! We can’t hold out much longer!

-There’s too many of them! Damn it! My arm won’t move right!

The Boss Monster, now much stronger than before, tore through the raid party, and their formation collapsed in an instant, causing a surge in casualties.

-…We’re aborting the raid. I’ll clear a path—grab the wounded!

-Everyone, run for the entrance! Don’t look back! Just look ahead!

Yoo Seolha also moved, leading the Sword Pavilion members to escape.

Squelch!

Something pierced her chest.

A sword.

A familiar sword.

As her head slowly turned, as if broken, she saw Han Na-ri grinning like a demon.

Where do you think you’re going.

…Unni?

You’re staying here.

As the forgotten memories grew clear, Yoo Seolha’s eyes flew wide open.

“Haaah!”

She tried to move her hand to check her pierced chest, but she was bound tightly, unable to move.

Her eyes darted quickly.

And in an instant, she realized the situation she was in.

The Red Cross.

She was tied to it.

On both sides, she saw her Sword Pavilion comrades.

All of them, heads bowed, bound to the Red Cross like tangled yarn.

“Juyeong. Hanju!”

She called out desperately, but there was no response. Everyone hung their heads, eyes closed.

“You’re awake?”

At the familiar voice, Yoo Seolha grit her teeth.

“Han Na-ri!”

“Is it okay to call your unni’s name like that?”

“What are you doing?!”

“Hm. Who knows. Maybe this is just the reward for working hard?”

Han Na-ri laughed nonchalantly.

That sight was so unfamiliar.

The Han Na-ri in Yoo Seolha’s memories was not like this.

A warm, gentle eldest sister.

Someone who embraced everything.

Such an unni would never swing a sword at her comrades, or stab Yoo Seolha in the chest.

“Who are you? Get out of my unni’s body right now!”

“I am me. The real me you never knew. If I hadn’t met Him, I would never have known.”

“…Him?”

Han Na-ri smiled and drew her sword.

“Just like you were chosen by that damned Swordmaster, I was chosen by Him.”

“Please… Please, snap out of it! You’re not that kind of person!”

“Shut up!”

Han Na-ri shouted, thrusting the tip of her sword between Yoo Seolha’s brows.

“What do you know?!”

“You have no idea… If it weren’t for you… If it weren’t for you, the Swordmaster’s Disciple seat would have been mine. Do you know what it’s like to have that stolen right in front of you?”

“…What?”

“A brat who became a disciple thanks to her parents’ connections could never understand how I feel.”

Yoo Seolha’s eyes trembled at Han Na-ri’s true feelings.

She had followed her like a real sister.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“…What are you saying.”

“Hearing that the one who stole my place is talentless… It’s infuriating, but at the same time, a little satisfying. I guess the heavens really don’t give everything.”

“…Stop it.”

“Yeah. What’s the point of saying more. You’re going to be my sacrifice anyway. It’s about time, so let’s get started.”

Han Na-ri lowered her sword and stabbed it between Yoo Seolha’s breasts.

Squelch!

“Grrrk.”

“I didn’t want to go this far. If He hadn’t taken a liking to you… I would have just let you go.”

“This is all your fault. Why did you have to catch His eye—tsk, I can’t help it either. I can’t let you take my place again.”

Yoo Seolha bit her lip.

Very slowly.

Calmly, yet deeply.

The emotion of rage surged within her.

“Han Na-riii! I won’t let you get away with this!”

Yoo Seolha gnashed her teeth.

But no matter how hard she tried to break free, she was bound too tightly.

Han Na-ri, knowing this, laughed.

“With your skills, you couldn’t break free even if you died and came back. You’d need someone to help you. What a shame, isn’t it? There’s no one coming to save you. Who would be crazy enough to come in here?”

“…Grrr.”

“Or maybe you can try calling your dead father.”

“…I swear I’ll kill you.”

“A mere D-rank like you, against a B-rank like me? If it weren’t for the Thunder Dragon Elixir, you wouldn’t have even made it here. Wake up.”

Like playing with a toy.

Han Na-ri stroked Yoo Seolha’s cheek.

Yoo Seolha was furious at her own helplessness.

Then something entered her vision.

Someone in a hood was running across a pool of blood, killing Red Wolves with an ice spear.

‘Who is that?’

Someone who hadn’t escaped yet?

Or someone who came to save them?

Yoo Seolha bit her lip tightly.

Whoever it was, they needed to escape.

If they stayed, it would only be a pointless death.

There was no Hunter in Korea who could clear this Dungeon alone.

‘Any more sacrifice would be meaningless…’

As the hooded figure drew closer, Yoo Seolha tried to shout with all her might, but her strength failed her.

Her mouth wouldn’t open.

“Hm. Looks like an uninvited guest is still here? Kill them.”

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

“Awooooooooo!”

With the drawn-out wail,

Hundreds, thousands of Red Wolves emerged from the red pool.

‘No, run!’

Just as Yoo Seolha’s eyes were about to close—

KWA-GAGAGAGANG!

KWA-AAANG!

A massive explosion swept away the Red Wolves near the hooded figure.

The explosion didn’t stop there.

Enormous, colorful flowers dropped lightning bolts, shot fireballs, and unleashed icy winds.

Hundreds of Red Wolves vanished in an instant.

But there were still many left.

The Boss Monster, now empowered by Han Na-ri’s trickery, was on a completely different level.

The Red Wolves that disappeared multiplied, endlessly charging at the hooded figure.

“Bark! Bark!”

“Grrrr!”

KWA-AAANG!

KWAGAGANG!

The flowers fought bravely with elemental attacks, but only for a moment. All the flowers in the girl’s hands disappeared.

Then.

“UOOOOOOOOOO!”

An Orc appeared, letting out a fierce roar. Wielding two axes, it hunted the Red Wolves.

A Goblin appeared behind the Orc, sprinkling something from both hands and cackling.

It was a bizarre scene.

Even Han Na-ri seemed caught off guard, her hand slipping from the sword lodged in Yoo Seolha’s chest.

In that brief moment, strength returned to Yoo Seolha’s body.

She didn’t miss her chance.

“What are you doing! Run, now!”

Her words came out with great effort.

But the hooded figure didn’t move from their spot.

“…Leave you behind… and just… go?”

“…What?”

The hooded man raised his hand toward the sky.

“Ice Spear.”

A massive magic circle formed in the sky.

From it, a gigantic ice spear was summoned.

It was as large as an apartment building.

The colossal ice spear, swirling with white frost, plummeted toward where the hooded man stood.

BOOM!

With a heavy impact,

The Red Wolves vanished.

And then.

CRACKLE!

CRACK!

A raging wave of cold swept out in all directions, freezing everything nearby.

Everything around the Black Castle turned into ice statues.

The only ones not frozen were—

The hooded man at the center of the ice spear, the Goblin, the Orc, the girl, and the Sword Pavilion people atop the Black Castle.

“To use such a powerful spell so openly… Are you stupid or what?”

Han Na-ri drew her sword and lunged at the hooded man.

Flash!

She shot forward like lightning.

Her swift sword strike targeted the hooded man.

Clang!

The Orc’s axe blocked Han Na-ri’s sword.

At the same time, tree vines rose from the ground and bound Han Na-ri’s body.

“Wh-what is this…”

“Let’s have a private chat, shall we?”

The hooded man opened a portal.

The Orc, Goblin, the cute girl, and the vine-bound Han Na-ri went inside.

Left alone, the hooded man raised his hand and created a small ice spear.

Whoosh!

The ice spear flew fast and tapped the frozen Boss Monster.

The Boss Monster crumbled to dust.

[You have conquered the Red Dungeon.]

Then, as the hooded man entered the portal, it vanished.

And—

Yoo Seolha’s weary eyes finally closed.

What I know about Apostles is…

Only about their abilities, and their combat levels by rank. I had no idea why they acted as they did.

So I brought Han Na-ri to the Dragon’s Lair to find out.

[Shall we begin?]

Fryra took out a flower that looked like a cloud.

Confession Flower.

It had no effect when simply smelled, but when handled by the Dryad Tribe, it revealed special powers.

Touched by Fryra’s hand, the Confession Flower emitted a soft, cloudy smoke.

[Hoo.]

With a breath, the cloudy smoke entered Han Na-ri’s mouth.

“What are you doing! Let me go right now!”

Han Na-ri, struggling against the tight tree vines, fell silent in an instant.

With a dreamy expression, she parted her lips slightly.

[It’s done. Ask anything you want to know.]

“Really?”

I approached Han Na-ri and crouched down.

“Who ordered you to do this?”

“The Apostle.”

“Why did you cause the Dungeon Break?”

“I don’t know. I just did what the Apostle told me to do.”

“Then, who is the Apostle?”

“…Uuuugh!”

Han Na-ri foamed at the mouth and trembled violently.

Was there a restriction placed on her?

It would be a waste to kill her like this.

I moved on to the next question to try to get other information.

“Tell me everything you know about Apostle Candidates.”

She seemed free from the restriction.

Han Na-ri began to speak again.

“…Apostle Candidates have to be talented. Those who follow the Thunder Dragon God are judged by the Thunder Dragon Elixir.”

“Thunder Dragon Elixir?”

“It’s an elixir made from various herbs related to lightning.”

“Did Yoo Seolha take it too?”

“Yes. I taught her how to make it.”

So that’s why she bought the lowest-grade Lightning Flowers from me for a high price—to make the Thunder Dragon Elixir.

“So Yoo Seolha became an Apostle of the Thunder Dragon God candidate?”

“No. To become an Apostle Candidate, you must receive the blessing. That girl hasn’t been blessed yet.”

“Then why did you try to kill Yoo Seolha?”

“If a talented Apostle Candidate kills another, they become a Lowest Apostle. I also didn’t like that she caught the Apostle’s eye. That’s why I tried to use her as my sacrifice.”

So, they verify talent with the Thunder Dragon Elixir, and if a candidate kills another talented candidate, they become a Lowest Apostle.

“You caused the Dungeon Break to kill Yoo Seolha and become an Apostle?”

“No. That was my own will… grrk!”

Suddenly, Han Na-ri’s body began to melt. Even though I hadn’t asked about the Apostle’s identity, she started to convulse.

And slowly—

“No… No. I, I was chosen… chosen by God… the Apostle… aaaaagh!”

Her voice split, her form twisted beyond recognition.

With hot smoke, Han Na-ri melted away.

In no time, her form vanished completely.

[She’s dead.]

“So she was a discard from the start.”

Judging by the timing, they must have acted after hearing that the Dungeon was cleared. Or maybe they did this to erase traces of the Dungeon Break.

“…Hmm.”

It’s regrettable I couldn’t learn the Apostle’s identity.

‘But I’ll meet them eventually.’

Since they showed interest in Yoo Seolha’s talent, they might make contact.

Above all—

There’s no guarantee I could win even if I found them now.

What I need to do right now is—

Grow stronger, over time.

Strong enough to defeat any enemy.

‘There’s still so much I lack.’

Especially after this Red Dungeon incident, I realized many things.

The number of spells I can use.

How to fight with magic.

The number of Guardians.

How to face powerful enemies.

How to make versatile use of magic, and so on.

What I lack, how to fill those gaps, and how to move forward—I think I’ve found the path.

I plan to fill those gaps one by one.

“Good work, everyone.”

I left the cleanup to the Guardians and returned to reality.

The portal I had set up near the Red Dungeon.

I hid nearby and watched the situation unfold for a bit.

“The, the Red Dungeon has been cleared!”

“Huh? Really?”

“It’s true! We’re alive!”

“Hey! Yoo Seolha… Hunter Yoo Seolha is here! Other Sword Pavilion Hunters too! There are survivors!”

“Bring Potions! Hurry!”

Amid the cheering crowd, I saw the Association President with his head bowed.

Lee Changgeon let out a sigh of relief.

I sent him a telepathic message.

[Do you have a moment to talk?]

[You… Thank you. If it weren’t for you, this could have been a disaster.]

I have something to discuss regarding the Dungeon. There are traces of a third party’s involvement in this Red Dungeon.

[I also found evidence of that.]

[As expected… There was a reason. Did you find out who?]

[I couldn’t find that out.]

Lee Changgeon clenched his fist.

[This is all because our country is too weak. I was too complacent.]

[So, I have a proposal.]

For Hunters to grow stronger, there’s something essential.

A place to steadily farm items and magic stones.

A place to gain experience fighting Monsters.

Dungeons.

Currently, Korea severely lacks Dungeons.

[What is it?]

[I’m thinking of seizing a Maze Master’s seat soon. Would you be interested in purchasing it at a reasonable price?]