Even if someone wasn’t an Awakener, they usually possessed basic knowledge.
And within that basic knowledge, it was well known how low the probability was for a re-awakening through natural means rather than using an Awakening Stone.
Furthermore, it wasn’t as if they would have used Awakening Stones, which cost anywhere from tens of billions to hundreds of billions of won.
“Se-Seong-jun, you re-awakened? And as a high-grade?”
When Lee Seon-jae asked with an expression of disbelief, Seong-jun replied with a smile.
“Yes. And Gwang-taek and Yu-seon here are also high-grade. So, you don’t have to worry about us.”
“But still…”
Even if Seong-jun had re-awakened as a high-grade and Gwang-taek and Yu-seon were both high-grade as well, a Dungeon Break was still scheduled to occur.
Since Seong-jun was practically like a son to them, they couldn’t help but be worried.
“You know me, right? Safety first. I’m just going to watch how the situation unfolds from a safe distance.”
Lee Seon-jae and Yoo Mi-ran were full of concern, but they couldn’t just hold him back when Seong-jun spoke with such conviction.
“Sigh, fine. Just make sure you don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Yes. I’ll see you after the situation is over.”
After a brief farewell to his uncle and aunt, Seong-jun’s party headed toward the entrance of the shelter.
The entrance was still a scene of chaos.
Regardless of the noise, the staff were attempting to close the doors since the capacity was full.
“Ple-Please! At least take the children!”
“Hey! What are you doing closing it like this! What about us?!”
“Dammit! How are we supposed to get to another shelter now?!”
“Attention! We are closing the doors now! The rest of you must move to another shelter!”
Just as the shelter doors were about to close,
“Wait a moment.”
Seong-jun stopped those who were trying to close the door.
“Hmm? What is it?”
At that, Seong-jun pointed toward two children and a young woman who appeared to be their mother.
“We’re going to give up our spots. The three of us will head out, so please let that woman and the children in instead.”
At Seong-jun’s unexpected words, the shelter manager looked puzzled.
“Are you really planning to go out?”
There was less than an hour left until the Dungeon Break.
To put it bluntly, other shelters would likely be in the same situation as this one, so leaving now meant it would be nearly impossible to get into any shelter at all.
It meant they would have to seek safety outside while the Dungeon Break occurred.
When the manager asked if they were truly leaving, Seong-jun nodded.
“Yes, we’re going out. Excuse me! Please come this way with the children.”
As Seong-jun pointed to the young woman with the children and told her to come over, a man standing in front of them approached with fire in his eyes.
“Hey! Look here! I got here before that woman and those kids, so naturally, I should be the one to go in first! Who are you to give our spots to them!”
The man insisted he should go in first, citing the fact that he had arrived at the location before them.
Seong-jun frowned and spoke.
“Regardless of who we give the spots to, that’s up to us as the ones giving them up.”
“I got here before those people! If a spot opens up, the one who arrived first should obviously go in!”
“First-come-first-served only matters until the shelter is full. It means nothing once it’s already at capacity. But putting that aside, do you really want to enter the shelter in place of those children? Really?”
At Seong-jun’s words, the man looked at the children.
“Of course I…!!”
The man, who was about to say he naturally wanted to, lost his words when he saw the children trembling in fear.
“M-Mommy… I’m scared.”
“Sob, sob.”
The man, who had been staring blankly at the children, eventually lowered his head and spoke.
“Ugh, dammit! To hell with this! That’s cheating. That kind of expression is… it’s just cheating.”
No matter how strong the desire to live was, he couldn’t remain indifferent after seeing the terrified faces of the children.
Ultimately, the man expressed his intent by taking a step back.
Seong-jun looked at the children and their mother.
“Ma’am. Please take the children and come this way quickly.”
As Seong-jun gestured for them to come, the young woman hurried over with the children.
“Thank you! Thank you so much! I don’t know how to repay this kindness.”
“It’s just that it felt a bit stuffy in there, so don’t worry about it. Please, go inside.”
As the young woman hurriedly entered with the children, the managers began to close the doors once more.
“We are really closing the doors now!”
Rumble!
Finally, the shelter doors closed.
While the doors were shutting, the managers blocked the entrance like an iron wall.
Thud!
Once the shelter door was completely closed, the people who couldn’t get in began to collapse to the ground one by one.
Thump! Plop!
“Oh, no! Even if we go somewhere else now, those places will be full too. What are we supposed to do!”
“Haha, it’s all over. We’re all going to die!”
If it were a low-grade Dungeon Break, they wouldn’t have panicked this much.
The hunters in the Chungnam region alone would have been enough to handle that level.
But this was a B-Class Dungeon Break.
In the worst-case scenario, it wasn’t just Sindu-ri at risk—the entire Wonbuk-myeon, or even the whole Taean-gun area, could be devastated.
That was why the people were in such a state of panic.
After watching the scene for a moment, Seong-jun went over to the man who was sitting with his head lowered.
“That was a brave decision. And I don’t know if this will be any consolation, but we will try our best to keep monsters from coming this way, so rather than going to another shelter, hide somewhere safe nearby.”
After saying that, he looked at Gwang-taek and Yu-seon.
“Let’s get moving.”
Gwang-taek and Yu-seon nodded at Seong-jun’s words.
“Yeah, alright.”
With that, Seong-jun, Gwang-taek, and Yu-seon quickly left the shelter entrance.
—
The area near where the B-Class Break Dungeon portal had formed.
Hunters active in Taean-gun arrived first and were working hard to establish the primary defense line.
Meanwhile, more hunters were arriving one after another, but it seemed it would take quite some time for all the hunters from across the Chungnam region to gather.
“Dammit, is this right? They said it would take 2 to 3 hours for the main force from Seoul to arrive. There’s less than an hour left until the Dungeon Break, so doesn’t that mean we have to hold out for 1 to 2 hours on our own?”
“Should we just run? If we die here, it’s just a dog’s death.”
“Talk sense. If you run from here, then what? You’ll obviously be expelled from the guild, and no other guild will take you. Even if you somehow save your life, your future will be in the abyss. Or what, are you going to work as a mercenary alongside F-ranks? Earning 300,000 won a day?”
The reason they were working hard to build a defense line despite their fear was that from the moment they ran away, they would have to give up their lives as proper hunters.
If they ignored their guild’s orders and deserted the site without permission, they could not only be kicked out of their guild depending on the situation but also be blacklisted, preventing them from joining any other guild.
Since they wouldn’t even be able to dream of a normal hunter’s life, they couldn’t choose to escape even while dominated by the fear of death.
During all this,
Ping!
Ping!
Ping!
Text messages arrived for them.
“Huh? What’s this? They’re recruiting volunteers to enter the dungeon?”
“Ha! Have they lost their minds? Who would go into a place where death is certain? They’re trying everything now.”
“That’s just how the Association operates. Anyway, 500 million won. That’s an awkward amount. If they’re going to spend money, shouldn’t they spend enough to make someone’s eyes spin? What hunter would be swayed by such an ambiguous amount?”
While the Hunter Association was building defense lines around the Break Dungeon portal, they also posted a recruitment notice to see if any hunters would enter the dungeon.
Naturally, most hunters dismissed it as nonsense and didn’t even show interest.
However, there were some who showed interest in this message.
‘500 million won. With this much, I’d have more than enough for my son’s surgery. Plus, since there’s hunter insurance, if I die in the dungeon, a large sum will go to my family. They said he might miss his chance if he doesn’t get surgery right away… should I just apply? How long would it take to earn surgery fees working as a mercenary for 300,000 won a day!!’
Among the F-rank hunters, those in urgent need of money showed interest in this message.
For those working mercenary jobs for 300,000 won a day, 500 million won was an amount that could never be taken lightly.
—
Meanwhile, at that time, Seong-jun’s party was on the roof of a building near the shelter, keeping a close eye on the situation.
“Seong-jun. Coming out of the shelter… it wasn’t just because you felt sorry for those kids, was it? Given what you said to that man at the end. What are you thinking?”
At Yu-seon’s question, Seong-jun nodded.
“It’s true that the shelter is safe from monsters, but there’s always a ‘just in case.’ I thought it would be better if we handled any small groups of monsters that might move toward the shelter ourselves.”
Monsters tend to flock to places with many people.
Shelters were equipped with devices that completely blocked signs of human presence.
Therefore, even if a Dungeon Break occurred, shelters could be considered relatively safe.
However, one never knew when or what kind of variables might arise.
To fundamentally block any potential disaster, Seong-jun planned to clear out monsters moving in the direction of the shelter.
“If it’s a small group of monsters, we can handle them, but if there are dozens, wouldn’t it be difficult?”
“I’m A-rank, and Yu-seon re-awakened as a B-rank hidden class, so as long as they aren’t swarming by the hundreds, we can handle it. Even if hundreds flock toward us, if we use the terrain for hit-and-run guerrilla warfare, we can quickly reduce their numbers.”
Seong-jun judged that they had a good chance of winning even in a head-on confrontation with dozens.
Even if the number reached hundreds, he believed they could handle them as long as they responded by hitting and retreating.
“Well, if you’ve judged it so, the probability is likely high. Anyway, I wonder if the defense line is being built well. Most high-ranks of B-class or above are in Seoul. It’ll take quite a bit of time just for them to come down here.”
Since she trusted Seong-jun’s judgment, she didn’t say anything more on that matter.
However, she wondered if the defense line could hold out until the main force from Seoul arrived.
“Even though there are only a few, there are A-ranks, and there should be at least a hundred B-ranks. If a large number of C-ranks support them, they should be able to buy some time.”
Although the number of A-ranks and B-ranks was small, since there were many C-ranks, he thought they might somehow be able to buy time until the Seoul reinforcements arrived.
Just then,
Ping!
Ping!
Ping!
Messages appeared on their phones.
“Huh? What is this?”
Checking the message, Gwang-taek and Yu-seon had bewildered expressions.
“What? Recruiting people to enter the dungeon? With only 500 million won as a reward?”
“They’re crazy. What are they thinking, sending a message like this? What kind of lunatic would put their life on the line for just this much money?”
How many people would put their lives on the line for 500 million won?
Moreover, for a hunter of a decent rank, 500 million won was an amount they could eventually earn, even if it took some time.
“This is a text purely targeting F-ranks.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Gwang-taek and Yu-seon asked curiously.
“Targeting F-ranks?”
“Even E-ranks earn at least over a million won. Some might even earn several million. On the other hand, F-ranks only get 300,000 won a day, no matter how great they perform. To them, 500 million won is by no means a small sum.”
Certainly, 500 million won was not a small amount for F-ranks.
But it was also true that it wasn’t a large enough sum to be considered the price of a life.
“That’s true, but even so, the amount is too ambiguous to be called life insurance. Who would accept a suicide mission with certain death for this money?”
At Yu-seon’s words, Seong-jun shook his head.
“It might seem like a small amount to us, but it could be a desperately needed sum for someone else. The Association people are targeting that aspect. If people willing to trade their lives for 500 million won gather, that’s good for them; and even if they don’t, it won’t particularly affect the overall situation.”
In any case, the Association would be assuming that a Dungeon Break would occur at the end of the countdown and would be preparing accordingly.
Sending such a text was because if they could gather all the members within time, they could deploy them right before the break to buy even a little more time.
And if the members didn’t gather, it wouldn’t significantly impact their plans anyway.
“Tsk, I really don’t like those Association people. What do they think human lives are?”
To Yu-seon, who reacted sharply toward the Association, Gwang-taek spoke with a smile.
“Don’t be so harsh. Ultimately, the choice belongs to each individual. Like Seong-jun said, for someone, that 500 million won might be money they absolutely need even at the cost of their life. The Association just gave them a choice. What choice they make is ultimately up to the individual.”
“That’s not it. The problem is creating such a choice in the first place. It’s a very petty way of exploiting people’s desperation.”
Gwang-taek had a point, and Yu-seon had a point.
In the first place, there was no right answer to such a problem.
“But I wonder if they can fill the required numbers. I don’t know what the required number is, but I don’t think there are that many people willing to give up their lives for 500 million won.”
At Seong-jun’s words, Gwang-taek began to think deeply about something.
Then, he spoke with a serious expression.
“That’s why I was thinking… Seong-jun. If the required number somehow gets filled, how about we try to conquer that dungeon?”
At Gwang-taek’s unexpected words, Seong-jun and Yu-seon looked puzzled.
“What? Conquer the dungeon? Gwang-taek. Even if the numbers are filled, it’s certain that most will be F-ranks. That means it’s no different from the three of us conquering it like the last closed dungeon. You know that, right?”
“No, what is this guy talking about? Are you crazy? Does that look like a D-Class dungeon to you? That’s a B-Class dungeon.”
Looking at Seong-jun and Yu-seon, Gwang-taek nodded.
“I know. And I know that no matter how strong we’ve become, it’s impossible to face a B-Class dungeon boss. But here’s the thing. What if the boss isn’t at the B-Class level, but around C-Class? Wouldn’t it be possible then?”
Wait, it was a B-Class dungeon to begin with.
What was the point of assuming what it would be like if it were a C-Class boss?
“C-Class level? Are you thinking about the debuff potions?”
“Exactly. We have debuff potions that reduce attack power, defense power, and health by 50 percent. With those, wouldn’t we be able to drop a B-Class boss down to a C-Class level?”
The debuff potions they had obtained in the last closed dungeon ruins.
After using one of each on the boss back then, they had 2 bottles of attack and defense reduction potions left, and 3 bottles of health reduction potions remaining.
In other words, they could lower attack and defense for 1 hour, and health for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Gwang-taek’s judgment was that with that much of a reduction, it might be worth a shot.
“Certainly, if we use the debuff potions, the boss’s stats will drop significantly. Whether they’ll drop all the way to C-Class level is unknown, but they’ll at least fall far short of a normal B-Class level.”
As Seong-jun said this, Yu-seon spoke urgently with trembling eyes.
“What are you saying? It’s a B-Class dungeon. Plus, there’s no guarantee the dungeon element will be darkness like last time. If it’s not darkness, we’ll have a very hard time clearing it. Most of all, once the required number is filled, the entrance closes just like a closed dungeon, right? It means we’d have to spend days in the dungeon like before… Ugh… just thinking about it already makes me tired.”
They were only able to clear it in three days back then because it was a D-Class dungeon; now it was a B-Class dungeon.
Furthermore, if it weren’t the darkness element, they wouldn’t be able to move as fast as before, so it would definitely take more days.
Since it would likely take at least five days, or even over a week, Yu-seon was horrified at the thought.
“There are certainly many variables. But the rewards will be just as certain. I heard that Break Dungeons also have extra benefits like closed dungeons. Plus, if we enter, we’ll be the first to enter. Since it’s a B-Class dungeon, if we kill the boss, we’ll get A-rank rewards, and since the rank increases as a first-entry benefit, we can even hope for S-rank rewards if things go well.”
The reason Gwang-taek suggested conquering the B-Class dungeon.
It was because upon successful conquest, they could obtain rewards of the S-rank level.
“Mmm, S-rank.”
Yu-seon, who had been expressing opposition until now, also showed signs of deliberation at the mention of S-rank. Seeing them like that, Seong-jun smirked.
“It’s certainly an attractive proposal. But, Gwang-taek. It’s meaningless for us to debate this here. In the first place, if the required number of people isn’t met, entering itself is impossible.”
To stop the countdown of a Break Dungeon, a specific number of hunters must enter.
If even one person is missing, the countdown doesn’t stop.
“That’s true. That’s why I’m asking. If the required number is met, would you be willing to try the dungeon?”
Gwang-taek knew that as well.
He was just making a proposal based on the assumption that the numbers were filled.
Looking at Gwang-taek, Seong-jun spoke.
“Everything sounds good, but there’s one thing you overlooked. As the dungeon rank increases, the gap between ranks also increases drastically. It might not be entirely impossible, but it’s not something to be thought of so easily.”
The difference between C-rank and B-rank is much larger than the difference between F-rank and E-rank.
In a situation where they hadn’t even faced a C-Class dungeon boss yet, jumping straight to B-Class was a huge risk.
“Is that so? I guess it just felt like it might be possible since we cleared an entire D-Class dungeon alone. Hahaha.”
“Then let’s go there and judge first. It’s a meaningless debate if the required number isn’t met anyway. If we go and find that the numbers are somewhat filled, we’ll consider entering; if not, we’ll just pull back.”
Nothing would change by arguing here.
The important thing was whether the required number of people for dungeon entry would be filled.
Therefore, Seong-jun’s party came down from the roof and moved toward the area where the Break Dungeon portal had formed.
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