A Dungeon Somewhere.
Kwak kwak kwak kwang—
Chwak chak— Chwak chak—
At the forefront, a man wielded a shield larger than his own body, single-handedly enduring the onslaught of monsters.
Behind him stood two Hunters, one armed with a spear and the other with dual swords.
With practiced movements, they stepped on the shield embedded in the ground to vault over it, cutting down the charging monsters in a single strike.
The healer at the very back cast healing skills whenever possible, making the battle much easier to endure.
“Boss, good job!”
“The credit goes to you all.”
Minjun smirked lightly, passing the praise to his party members.
They had been comrades through thick and thin since Minjun became an A-Grade Hunter.
Now, preparing to ascend to S-Rank, they had just entered the dungeon to warm up.
“As soon as I rank up to S, America won’t be able to throw its weight around so easily anymore.”
“Yeah! Let’s finally tackle an S-Rank Dungeon in Korea!”
Due to laws set by the United States, which holds the highest authority in the World Superhuman Association, all S-Rank Dungeons in Korea have been left unattended.
‘Only parties including S-Grade Hunters are allowed to attempt S-Rank Dungeon raids.’
Every S-Rank Dungeon belongs to the World Superhuman Association, and permission from the Association is required to proceed with an attempt.
As a result, weaker countries lacking S-Grade Hunters have had their S-Rank Dungeons pushed to the back burner, leading to multiple Dungeon Breaks.
Of course, S-Grade Hunters dispatched by the Association handle the aftermath before the damage spreads further.
But once a city is destroyed and lives are lost, nothing can bring them back.
“Boss Monster! Stay alert!”
Minjun shouted, detecting the enemy’s approach through his Earthquake Sense.
“Left side! It’s coming through underground!”
But it was one step too late.
The healing Hunter at the back, caught off guard since the enemy was invisible, was scratched by a tentacle that suddenly emerged from the ground.
“Kyaa…! Kyaaaah!”
A grayish tint spread over her body from her legs upward as she turned to stone.
The absence of the healer, a major pillar of the party’s endurance, caused the balance to shift unfavorably.
The swordsman leapt forward, slashing the erupting tentacles with his Fiery Pepper Sword, but the next tentacle pierced his abdomen.
Like the healer, his body stiffened and turned a grayish stone color.
With two down so suddenly, the tide of battle turned against them.
Without some kind of turnaround, they were just going to be picked off one by one.
At that moment, the man with the spear gritted his teeth and threw himself into the heart of the writhing tentacles.
The moment his spear pierced the monster’s heart, countless tentacles simultaneously stabbed him.
“Damn it, that was careless.”
Crunch, crackle.
With a voice full of regret, the spearman’s entire body petrified.
However, the monster’s heart froze where the spear was embedded, and its movements gradually slowed.
As the tank, Minjun activated his Sharing Skill to reduce the damage the party took by distributing it evenly.
Fortunately, he did not share the Curse of Petrification that was turning their bodies to stone.
“Urrrgh—!”
Minjun swung his shield down with all his might at the spear still lodged in the enemy’s heart.
Kwaduck— Pa-pung!
The monster’s heart shattered like a gemstone scattering into shards.
They had barely managed to take down the Boss Monster.
Despite the tricky curse skill, its defense and durability were low.
But the comrades who had turned to stone showed no signs of returning to normal.
‘I have to get out of here quickly!’
There was no time to collect loot or anything else.
The longer the Curse of Petrification persisted, the harder it became to remove, and eventually, the victims would never be revived.
Minjun abandoned all his gear, including his precious shield, without hesitation.
It was the only way to carry all three out.
He slung the two melee damage dealers over his shoulders and cradled the healer in his opposite arm, hurriedly stepping through the dungeon portal back to Earth.
“Here come the Hunters! Wait—why is there only one of them? And those stone lumps… those are Hunters, right?!”
Flashes from cameras kept going off as reporters gathered to cover the live news of their dungeon clear.
“Hunter Do Minjun! As the leader, could you say a few words about your comrades returning as stone?”
“How did this happen? Please explain the situation!”
Minjun disliked the reporters slowing him down in such an urgent situation, but he quickened his pace toward the Superhuman Metropolitan Hospital.
“Why are you the only one unharmed?”
“Yeah, how can the tank be the only one left standing!”
“What the hell happened?”
Tap tap tap.
The sound of Minjun’s patience snapping.
“If you don’t shut up and clear the way right now, I’ll smash every one of your heads in.”
The place fell silent as a mouse.
Minjun’s fierce gaze warned that anyone who spoke again might face his wrath.
The reporters quietly made way.
Minjun loaded his comrades into an ambulance and headed for the Hunter hospital.
To think they entered the dungeon just to warm up and ended up like this…
Please, let there be healer Awakeneds stationed at the Superhuman Metropolitan Hospital who can fix this.
Arriving at the hospital in no time, thanks to the ambulance running red lights.
But—
“The skin has hardened too much; medication administration is impossible.”
Treatment by normal methods was out of the question.
Even the A-Grade Healers dispatched by the Superhuman Association were helpless.
Their petrified skin even resisted healing powers.
Together with Do Minjun, soon to be S-Rank, the three A-Grade Hunters who had recently been making waves now lay incapacitated.
The Association declared a state of emergency.
“First, search for any items with a curse removal option!”
Monsters that use curses are extremely rare.
Moreover, no ability exists to cancel curses, and the only known way to remove a curse is with limited-use items.
Because of this, such items are scarce and difficult to obtain.
Office workers at the Superhuman Association were mobilized to scour various online marketplaces and Auction Houses for any listings.
“Found one! But… it only has one use left.”
“Any others? Keep searching! The curse grows stronger over time; we have to act fast!”
Losing a Named Party’s combat capability weakens the Association’s power.
More critically, it also means Korea’s national strength diminishes.
Under government pressure, the Association president stomped his foot and urged his staff.
‘Because of overconfidence that S-Rank Dungeon raids will be possible as soon as the conditions are met, my comrades… Hoo… even A-Rank Dungeons are dangerous enough; we took them too lightly.’
Minjun continued pondering possible methods inside the dungeon, but ultimately concluded that asking for external help, even if minor, was necessary.
So he switched on his smartphone and contacted Minho.
After Baek Seonwoo returned carrying Porti, everyone gathered in front of the house for a celebration party.
Of course, Kasia attended as it was her own celebration, along with Goldie, Little Pepper, and the freshly awakened Ddakkongi.
- But do these creatures also eat beef?
“Yeah, I never really thought about it.”
Goldie, being omnivorous, would naturally eat beef.
But would Ddakkongi and Little Pepper, born from crops, eat beef too?
(I can eat it, nya!)
(That’s right! After all, meat becomes fertilizer in the end, nya!)
They could eat it.
Everything returns to the soil, becoming fertilizer, and the plants absorb the nutrients.
“Then that’s perfect. I’ll grill it deliciously…”
Ding ding ding~!
Ding ding ding~!
Ding ding ding~!
[ Message received from Younger Brother. ]
[ Message received from Younger Brother. ]
[ Message received from Younger Brother. ]
There was no way Minho would send so many messages in a row.
What’s going on?
[ Hyung, what are you doing? Busy? ]
[ Do you have any curse removal items? ]
[ Or any knowledge related to it, anything. ]
Something must be wrong.
Since he’s asking me to find an item.
“Wait… curse removal?”
Now that I think about it, I did recently acquire a curse removal item.
Or rather, a curse removal root?
The info window said Porti’s root possesses purification capabilities.
I haven’t figured out how to use it yet, and Baek Seonwoo took it away to research not long ago.
Still, it looks urgent, so I have no choice but to try this.
[ Are you hurt anywhere?
I have a plant with purification power.
I’m not sure if it’ll work, but send me your address and I’ll bring it right away. ]
I sent the reply immediately and started preparing to leave.
The “preparation” wasn’t much.
I just rushed to the field, grabbed twenty Porti plants, and, just in case, brought some Eggs and Gochu along.
In the countryside, not only is there no quick delivery, but buses run sporadically, so convenient transportation to Seoul was limited.
Once in the city, taxis were available, so despite some delay, I took a taxi toward Seoul.
My destination: the Superhuman Metropolitan Hospital in Seoul.
Upon arrival, the hospital’s surroundings and first floor were swarming with reporters eager to interview and elevate themselves to star journalists.
Not knowing how to get inside, someone approached discreetly.
“Are you Do Minho? I’m with the Association staff. Please follow me.”
Dressed in a black suit and sunglasses like a bodyguard, he somehow recognized me and led me through the back entrance.
To avoid attracting attention, we moved carefully.
“After you take the elevator to the 7th floor, you’ll find Do Minjun waiting for you.”
The Association staff said only that, then quietly left.
As I stepped out of the elevator, just as he said, Minjun greeted me with an unusually anxious expression.
“You’re here? Did you bring it?”
“I did. Let’s go. I’m not sure if it’ll help, though.”
Minjun nodded once and led me to the hospital room.
It wasn’t a single room but a four-person ward.
Inside were three patients along with two middle-aged men I vaguely recognized.
Each patient lay awkwardly stiffened, their skin color ranging from gray to dark gray, possibly reflecting the time difference since petrification.
‘Minjun’s party must be formidable Hunters… how could they end up like this?’
Seeing them in this state made me regret ever pinning hopes on Porti, even though I’m clueless about these matters.
It’s too severe.
“Greetings. I am Han Sangsoo, president of the Superhuman Association.”
“Is this really the time for pleasantries? We need to act before our talents’ curses worsen!”
The other middle-aged man, who reportedly held power second only to the president in Korea, reprimanded Han Sangsoo.
Unlike the impeccably groomed and stern-looking president, this man was burly and had straightforward features.
“Ah, yes. Hello. I’ll get straight to the point.
What I brought is a plant called ‘Porti.’
It has healing, recovery, and purification effects, so I thought it might help.”
I took out the flowers, leaves, and roots of Porti from the box.
To save time, I had sorted them in the taxi, which turned out to be a good decision.
“Porti? Never heard of it.”
The Association president glanced at Minjun, uncertain whether to trust me.
“He’s my older brother. You can trust him.”
“Ahem. Then I shall.”
Han Sangsoo cleared his throat and stepped back a bit, seeming flustered.
“What do we do now? There’s no time.
We have to fix this before they turn completely to stone.”
“I’ve never processed it before.
Since this is the first time, we should try all possible methods.”
Minjun’s urgent voice prompted me to explain the plans I had thought of on the way here.
The first approach was to swallow it through the esophagus.
It couldn’t be swallowed whole, so the idea was to chop it finely and carefully slide it down with water.
I had checked with Kasia to confirm it was safe to ingest the root directly.
“I’ll do that.”
The burly middle-aged man began tearing the Porti roots into small pieces.
Mashing would be preferable, but there was a risk of destroying its purification power, so we planned to avoid that.
“You mash it up and apply it to their skin.”
Minjun squeezed the roots in his hand with force.
Porti root juice dripped out.
When the juice was applied to the stone-turned healer’s affected areas, a faint light flickered briefly, barely noticeable, then quickly faded.
The healer remained a stone statue, unchanged.