The party union was currently engaged in a fierce struggle against hundreds of Ghouls.
“Graaaaaakh!”
“Gueeeh!”
The Tankers took turns blocking the entrance, while the melee dealers supported them from behind, launching close-range attacks whenever an opening appeared.
The ranged dealers poured out a constant stream of fire, and the healers were casting their restoration spells with everything they had.
However, the situation was not optimistic.
“Hold them back! Don’t let them through, no matter what!”
“Urgh! These damn things! They just keep coming without a break!”
The All-in-One and Healing Light buffs that Seong-jun had previously cast on them had already worn off.
They were fighting without any of those advantages now.
Consequently, the battle was naturally becoming a grueling uphill climb.
“Our mana is starting to run out!”
“Damn it! What the hell is going on? It’s absurd enough that the dungeon was locked down, but for hundreds of monsters to swarm us in a pack like this!”
Crash!
Boom!
Rumble!
It was frustrating enough that the dungeon had transitioned into a Closed Dungeon without any notification, but then they had suddenly encountered a massive horde of hundreds of monsters.
They had considered retreating toward the dungeon entrance, but the entrance area was not suitable for a party of this size to defend.
Therefore, they had searched for a location with a narrow entrance and a wider space behind it, eventually settling in their current position.
In the beginning, the Tankers had rotated frequently to plug the entrance while the ranged dealers unleashed powerful attacks to crush the monsters.
It seemed to be working, but that didn’t last long.
As their mana depleted rapidly, they could no longer spam their skills as they had before.
As a result, the pressure on the Tankers began to mount.
“Gah! Cough! H-Healer! Heal!”
Due to the endless wave of monsters, the Tankers were reaching their limits.
“Our Divine Power is almost empty too! If your health falls below 30%, rotate out immediately!”
The healers were also running low on Divine Power, making it impossible for them to cast heals recklessly.
They only cast healing spells when a rotation was impossible or in cases of extreme emergency.
“Ugh, we’re all going to die here.”
“Shut up! I’m not dying in a place like this!”
Given the dire circumstances, a pessimistic atmosphere was beginning to settle over the group.
But at that moment—
Kukwaaaaaaaa!
A massive wave of energy swept through the Ghouls.
It was Yuseon’s finishing move, the Spirit Magic Light Cannon.
Since it was fired in the narrow corridor of a labyrinth, the Light Cannon exhibited maximum efficiency.
“Whoa! T-This is…!”
“Isn’t that Yuseon’s Spirit Magic Light Cannon?”
“Could it be… is Seong-jun’s party here?”
Yuseon was almost as well-known as Seong-jun.
Her performance during the B-rank Dungeon Break had been incredibly impressive.
In particular, her Spirit Magic Light Cannon had left a deep impression on many people.
“Oh! Karl Buckman, the S-rank dealer, is in Seong-jun’s party too! We’re saved! We’re actually going to live!”
The atmosphere, which had been bordering on despair, shifted instantly upon the arrival of Seong-jun’s group.
“The monsters are changing direction! They’re shifting their attack toward Seong-jun’s party. Let’s move out!”
“If Seong-jun’s party retreats or if something happens to them, we’ll be in an even worse spot! It’s better to switch to the offensive and perform a pincer attack with them!”
“No need to rotate anymore! All Tankers to the front! Dealers, don’t worry about mana and attack with everything you’ve got! If we miss this chance, there won’t be a next time! We have to break through this situation by linking up with Seong-jun’s party!”
Though they were exhausted from fighting the Ghouls, they weren’t foolish.
Knowing that this was their last chance, they decided that pushing forward to help Seong-jun’s group offered more hope than just sitting back and defending.
“Let’s go!”
The party union, which had been focused solely on defense, immediately switched to an offensive posture the moment Seong-jun’s party appeared.
***
The situation was resolved quickly once Seong-jun’s group arrived.
After Yuseon cleared out a path with her Spirit Magic Light Cannon, she followed up with the Wind Spirit’s Bombardment for a second strike.
Meanwhile, Gwang-taek and Karl Buckman took the lead, slashing through the enemies and rapidly thinning their numbers.
Added to that, the party union shifted to an offensive stance, and the Ghoul horde collapsed in an instant.
And now—
“Ha, haha! Mr. Seong-jun! I thought for sure we were dead, but thanks to you, we survived!”
Once the situation was settled, the Hunters of the party union greeted Seong-jun’s group with joyful expressions.
Seong-jun looked at them with a puzzled face.
“Ah, yes. But why were you fighting monsters here instead of leaving the dungeon? Surely you must have sensed something was wrong.”
One of them replied with an awkward expression.
“That’s… it’s not that we didn’t leave, it’s that we couldn’t.”
“You couldn’t leave?”
Seong-jun asked, his confusion growing.
“What do you mean?”
“Sigh, the Dungeon Portal is blocked. The dungeon has been locked down.”
Seong-jun was taken aback.
Normally, when a dungeon transitions into a Closed Dungeon, a notification system sounds.
But no such notification had been heard.
So how could it be locked down?
“What? The dungeon is closed? That makes no sense…”
“We have no idea what’s going on either. We heard an Elite had appeared, so we retreated toward the entrance, but when we got there, the Dungeon Portal was closed. We definitely didn’t hear an announcement about it becoming a Closed Dungeon. In the middle of all that, we ran into a horde of hundreds of monsters… what else could we do? We had to find a defensible spot and set up a perimeter.”
The fact that the dungeon was closed came as a shock to Seong-jun’s party as well.
It was a completely unexpected turn of events.
“Dungeon lockdown. This is something I never anticipated. There really wasn’t any notification.”
Karl Buckman asked in a quiet voice as he looked at the bewildered Seong-jun.
“Is this because of that device too?”
Seong-jun replied just as quietly.
“Most likely. Summoning an Elite regardless of the Clear Rate, gathering normal monsters in one place, and now even locking down the dungeon… it really is an absurd device.”
It was a device that defied common sense.
Where on earth could such a thing have come from?
“If we can figure out the operating principle of that device, many things will probably change. The problem is the people who made it. The fact that they didn’t announce it to the world and conducted a field test in secret like this… it’s hard to believe they have good intentions.”
If someone had developed a device to benefit the world, they would have made it public.
Being able to implement functions to this extent meant it was nearly ready for practical use.
In fact, it might have already reached the practical stage, but Karl Buckman viewed this incident as a field test.
He suspected that a final field test was being conducted before full-scale implementation, and it just so happened to be the dungeon they had entered.
“Karl, do you think this whole situation is just a field test?”
“There haven’t been any prior reports. It’s natural to have a field test before practical use, and if it were already in use, we would have heard about it somehow. The fact that we haven’t suggests this is likely the first time the device has been used in the world. Of course, they could have done tests secretly in some remote area, but I don’t get that feeling.”
Seong-jun nodded at Karl Buckman’s words.
“That’s possible. Regardless, if these things start spreading through dungeons in earnest, it’ll be total chaos. Well, not that we can do much about it right now.”
Whatever the identity of the device was, there was nothing Seong-jun’s group could do immediately.
All they could do was steadily grow stronger in their current positions and prepare for what was to come.
“Exactly. We should leave this to the experts and just do our jobs. On that note, shall we go kill the boss? Let’s finish this and get out of here.”
Seong-jun let out a small smile at Karl Buckman’s words.
“Sure. It looks like the dungeon is mostly cleared out, so let’s go handle the boss. If the dungeon is locked down, it won’t open until the boss is dead anyway.”
With that, Seong-jun’s party and the other hunters hurried their steps to hunt the boss.
***
The boss raid ended much more smoothly than expected.
Seong-jun’s party was significantly stronger than they had been during the B-rank Dungeon Break, they had an S-rank like Karl Buckman with them, and the other parties contributed significantly as well.
Thanks to that, it took only 30 to 40 minutes to hunt the C-rank boss.
Of course, no one could deny that the decisive factor was Seong-jun’s buffs.
After gathering all the loot, the group finally exited the dungeon.
Vwoom! Vwoom!
Waiting for them outside the portal were members of the Association.
“Oh! Healer Kim Seong-jun! Haha! You’re safe!”
The first person to run toward Seong-jun was the Association President.
“President? What are you doing here?”
Even if the Association had realized the dungeon was locked down, it wasn’t an issue that usually required the President himself to rush out.
That was why Seong-jun asked with a puzzled look.
“Phew, the truth is, the Guild Master of Holy Emperor and their main force are currently on their way to Korea. It’s likely because of Karl Buckman.”
Seong-jun looked surprised at the news that Holy Emperor’s elite members were coming to Korea.
“What? Holy Emperor’s main force?”
“Since it’s a visit from one of the world’s strongest guilds, we have to pay attention. In the middle of that, I heard that the dungeon Kim Seong-jun and Karl Buckman entered had turned into a Closed Dungeon, so I rushed here. It was unlikely, but if anything happened to Karl Buckman in the dungeon, it would put us in a very difficult position.”
Seong-jun smirked at the President’s words.
“You were worried about nothing.”
In Seong-jun’s eyes, it truly was a needless worry.
Even without the other parties or Karl Buckman, Seong-jun’s own party could have cleared the dungeon without any issues.
“But what exactly happened? The Clear Rate suddenly soared and the dungeon was cleared in an instant. When it turned into a Closed Dungeon, the Clear Rate was less than 40%, so I expected it to take at least two days.”
It was a natural question for the President, who had no idea what had happened inside.
“There were a few incidents. An Elite was summoned regardless of the Clear Rate, and the monsters in the dungeon started flocking to where the Elite was. Then, the dungeon was suddenly locked down. Of course, since the monsters gathered in one spot, we were able to wipe them all out at once, but if this had been a B-rank dungeon instead of a C-rank, we would have been in a very tight spot.”
If it had been a B-rank dungeon, things would have been different, as he might not have been able to one-shot everything with God’s Wrath without using Sanctuary.
In a B-rank dungeon, he would have likely used a strategy of slowly thinning them out with the other parties instead of recklessly casting God’s Wrath.
If they tried to handle it alone and failed to clear them all, they could have been surrounded and faced total annihilation.
Meanwhile, the Association President looked baffled by Seong-jun’s unexpected statement.
“What? An Elite was summoned before the Clear Rate hit 90%, and normal monsters gathered there? And the lockdown… does that mean it wasn’t a natural Closed Dungeon?”
“Probably not. We didn’t hear a lockdown notification. It was clearly something triggered artificially by an external factor, and we suspect this device is the cause.”
Seong-jun pulled out the device he had obtained in the dungeon.
“What is that? It’s a strange-looking device.”
“This was at the location where the Elite was summoned and the monsters gathered. I don’t have definitive proof, but I suspect this device caused those changes. Although, it’s completely lost its function now, so there’s no way to verify it.”
Seong-jun was certain that the device was responsible, but he lacked the evidence to support that certainty.
If the device still worked, he could prove it somehow, but since it was broken, even that was impossible.
To anyone else, it would sound like nothing more than Seong-jun’s speculation.
“Hah! If that’s true, that device is an incredible object that could completely change the concept of every dungeon on Earth. But Kim Seong-jun, you know as well as I do how absurd that sounds. Oh, of course, I believe you, but other people won’t see it that way. Without a way to prove it, they’ll just dismiss it as nonsense.”
Despite his words, the President didn’t look like he fully believed Seong-jun either.
To put it bluntly, the world’s top scholars had researched dungeons for years without showing any significant results.
How could he believe that a random device could manipulate a dungeon?
He simply felt that since Seong-jun said it, he couldn’t dismiss it entirely.
“I see.”
Seong-jun simply nodded with a calm expression at the President’s reaction.
“Well, we’ll find out once we investigate. Let’s move that device to the Association first and call in some experts to look into it.”
When the President suggested taking the device for investigation, Seong-jun gave a thin smile.
“That’s not going to happen. I don’t know what you think, President, but I’m personally quite certain. Therefore, I believe the value of this device is not light. If I’m handing this over to the Association, I expect to receive compensation worthy of its value.”
Even if it had lost its function, Seong-jun judged that its value was significant based on what he had witnessed.
If he was going to hand it over, he intended to get a fair price for it.
The Association President looked flustered.
“What? What do you mean by that…?”
“Even if it’s lost its function, I believe its research value is sufficient. Since we risked our lives to secure it, shouldn’t we receive appropriate compensation?”
The President, who had assumed Seong-jun would hand it over to the Association without conditions, was naturally taken aback.
“Sigh, Kim Seong-jun. As I said earlier, there is no evidence that the device is related to the anomalies in the dungeon. Right now, its value is technically zero. I can’t waste the Association’s budget based solely on your speculation. Let the Association investigate it first, and if we determine it has sufficient value as you say, we will provide proper compensation then.”
In short, he wanted to investigate first and pay only if the value was proven.
It sounded reasonable on the surface, but if they found something and then lied, claiming they found nothing, that would be the end of it.
Seong-jun spoke with a blank expression.
“If that’s the Association’s stance, there’s nothing I can do. Actually, Karl asked if I was willing to hand this device over to Holy Emperor. I thought that since I’m Korean, it would be better to give it to the Korean Association if the price was the same… that’s why I spoke to you first. But since you’ve put it that way, I’ll have to reconsider.”
Seong-jun turned his head and called for Karl Buckman.
“Karl! Did you get a hold of Holy Emperor?”
Karl Buckman approached while waving his phone.
“Of course. By the way, William and the guild’s main force are on their way to Korea. Did you know?”
It seemed he had called his Guild Master, William, or other executives as soon as he stepped out of the dungeon.
“I just heard from the President. Anyway, did you ask about the device?”
“I explained what happened in the dungeon in detail and said it seemed deeply connected to that device. They’re interested. But since it’s already non-functional, they can’t value it too highly. Regardless, the guild offered $10 million.”
$10 million.
At the current exchange rate, that was approximately 14 billion won.
For a device that had already lost its function, it was by no means a small amount.
“$10 million… that’s about 14 billion won. Well, that’s a generous offer. Fine. Then let’s hand this device over to Holy Emperor.”
The Korean Association saw the device’s value as zero, while Holy Emperor valued it at 14 billion won.
The choice was obvious.
As Seong-jun prepared to hand it over, the President spoke in a panic.
“W-Wait a minute! Kim Seong-jun. If what you say is true, the value of that device is immense. Handing such a device to a foreign guild could technically be considered a technology leak.”
Not only Seong-jun, but Karl Buckman also seemed convinced that the anomalies were related to the device, and Holy Emperor was showing extreme interest.
Seeing this, the President began to suspect the device might be more important than he initially thought.
However, the bus had already left the station.
“Technology leak? Didn’t you just say the value of this device was zero?”
“T-That’s…”
In truth, deep down, he still didn’t value the device that highly.
To be precise, he didn’t believe that a tiny device could cause anomalies in a dungeon.
However, just in case there was even a 1% chance, he couldn’t just stand by and watch it go to Holy Emperor.
Seong-jun looked at the President and spoke quietly.
“If the Association offers 14 billion won, I’ll hand it over to you. As I told Karl, I’d rather give it to the Korean Association than a foreign guild if the price is the same. What will you do?”
Seong-jun was willing to hand it over immediately if the Association matched the offer.
But the President couldn’t answer easily.
He couldn’t spend 14 billion won on an unverified device based solely on Seong-jun’s word.
“…”
When the President only showed signs of hesitation without giving a proper answer, Seong-jun spoke up.
“Fine. I’ll give you time to think. I’ll wait until Holy Emperor arrives in Korea. But if you haven’t made a decision by then, I’m simply handing it over to Holy Emperor.”
With a sigh, Seong-jun turned and walked away.
He didn’t feel like arguing about it any further.