It did not take long to eliminate the swarm of over 400 monsters along with the elites.
Since Seong-jun’s God’s Wrath had already reduced their health to less than half, they could not withstand the fierce assault of the Hunters and collapsed in an instant.
“It seems things are cleared up here. What is the situation elsewhere?”
With the boss, the elites, and a significant number of monsters dealt with, the most threatening group had effectively been eliminated.
All that remained now were common monsters—mere fodder.
At Seong-jun’s question, Kang Tae-ho, who had been in charge of defending the temporary shelter, answered cautiously.
“I hear they’ve repelled one wave of the monster offensive and are slowly beginning to advance. It seems they intend to narrow the defensive line and mop up the remaining monsters that strayed from the pack.”
Unlike the 1st Defense Line, which set up camp near the portal to handle monsters as they poured out, the 2nd Defense Line was positioned far from the portal generation area to cover a much wider range.
Consequently, there were bound to be monsters that had broken away from the group and ended up in places out of the Hunters’ sight.
Therefore, once the defensive line blocked the initial onslaught, they began to push forward slowly, narrowing the line to clear out the remnants.
Especially now that they had confirmed the boss group attacking the temporary shelter was gone, there was nothing holding them back.
“I see. So, do we have to wait here until the defensive line narrows to this point?”
Kang Tae-ho answered Seong-jun’s follow-up question.
“Doing so would be the safest course of action, but if all the forces here are deployed, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to move the people ourselves. Hunters like us might be fine, but for civilians, simply being in a danger zone causes immense anxiety and stress.”
Large-scale monster forces were likely non-existent now; it was highly probable that only small groups of two or three remained.
Under these circumstances, if Seong-jun, the Holy Emperor, and even the Changcheon and Genesis Guilds joined the escort for the civilians, they could repel any monsters without taking damage.
“Then there’s no need to wait. I’ll speak to the other guilds, so let’s get ready to move quickly.”
“Ah! Would you? Then I’ll inform the people and prepare for the move.”
The remaining monsters wouldn’t amount to much anyway.
The forces currently maintaining the defensive line were more than enough.
The problem was that the speed at which the line was narrowing wouldn’t be very fast.
There was no reason to rot away here waiting.
It was better to take the civilians to a safe area first and then decide what to do next.
***
At that time, the situation on Jeju Island was spiraling toward the worst-case scenario.
Although an evacuation order had been issued, many people had been unable to leave because the notice was so sudden.
Furthermore, unlike Seoul, where the 1st Defense Line bought some time before collapsing, the monsters on Jeju Island scattered in all directions like fish in water the moment the Dungeon Break occurred.
As a result, casualties were inevitably much higher.
Meanwhile, at Jeju Airport…
While the top ten guilds and other giants were clearing the B-rank Dungeon Break in Ahyeon-dong, guilds from other cities were arriving in Jeju one after another at the Association’s request.
“Too many people are flocking here. We’re already over 10,000, and at this rate, it’ll hit 100,000 in no time. If this continues, they’re highly likely to become a target for the monsters. We must move these people to the mainland immediately.”
A significant number of people had already escaped via flights and ships, but even considering those who left, hundreds of thousands remained on the island.
They were currently crowding the ports and the airport to get out.
The problem was that the more people gathered in one place, the more likely they were to become a target.
Jeju Airport, in particular, was drawing more people than the various ports.
“Who doesn’t know that? We’re constantly sending people out on planes, but more people are coming in than leaving! What do you want us to do?”
Currently, five aircraft were being operated for the evacuation.
Each plane could carry about 200 people, and they were departing at intervals.
The issue was that while 200 people left, 300 or 400 more would arrive from outside.
“Is there still no word on the situation in Seoul? There’s a limit to how long we can defend this place on our own. To be blunt, if a boss shows up, we’re all finished.”
The guilds ranked rank 1 to rank 30 in the country were all concentrated in Seoul.
Even a guild that acted like a big shot in the provinces was, in the end, something that couldn’t even break into the top thirty.
Because of that, although many regional guilds had gathered at Jeju Airport, their actual combat power was significantly lower.
If a boss appeared in this situation?
Defense would be impossible.
Even if they somehow managed to stop it, they would clearly suffer irreparable, crippling damage.
Ultimately, to resolve this entire situation, the giant guilds from Seoul had to come.
But then…
*Bam!*
The conference room door slammed open, and someone rushed in frantically.
“T-this is bad! Moseulpo Port has fallen!”
Moseulpo Port had fallen?
Moseulpo was known as the premier fishing port of Seogwipo, and it had even more evacuees than Jeju Airport.
“Moseulpo Port fell? Then what about the people who evacuated there? I heard there were easily over 30,000 people at Moseulpo alone. Besides, there should have been Hunters defending it. Just how large was the monster swarm for it to fall?”
Though not as many as at Jeju Airport, a significant number of Hunters had been stationed at every major port.
If it had fallen despite that, the scale of the monster force was by no means small.
When asked about the size of the monster group, the man answered hurriedly.
“I don’t know the exact count, but I heard it was a bit over 500! But the problem is that a boss appeared! It seems the monsters that were scattered in small groups are rapidly converging around the boss now that it has arrived!”
In the current situation, a swarm of over 500 monsters was truly immense.
To put it in perspective, the temporary shelter in Seoul was being defended by guilds in the top thirty, along with Changcheon, Genesis, the Holy Emperor, and most importantly, Seong-jun.
That was why they could repel a boss, elites, and a swarm of 600 to 700 monsters without any major casualties.
But Jeju Island was different.
The quality of the Hunter forces was incomparable to Seoul.
“Hah! Five hundred? And a boss too? This is insane. So? Where is the boss group that destroyed Moseulpo Port heading now?”
The critical thing was the boss swarm’s path.
Depending on where they went, a crisis could arrive sooner than expected.
“The boss group is reportedly heading north. If they maintain their current path, Hallim Outer Port is likely to be the next target! Because of that, the civilians and Hunters at Hallim are already preparing to move elsewhere!”
The Hunter force at Hallim Outer Port was significantly weaker than the one at Moseulpo.
If the boss swarm hit them, they would undoubtedly be annihilated in an instant without even putting up a proper fight.
Therefore, as soon as they heard the boss swarm was moving north, the Hunters and civilians at Hallim began preparing to leave the port in a hurry.
They couldn’t just sit there and wait to die.
“Damn it! Of all the directions, it had to be north! Doesn’t that mean there’s a high chance they’ll come here?”
If the boss group hit Hallim Outer Port as expected, the next target would likely be Aewol Port.
There were already 5,000 people evacuated there.
While some people were at smaller nearby docks, their numbers were only in the hundreds.
Given the nature of monsters to target large groups of humans, they were likely to move toward Aewol, which meant the destination after that would be Jeju Airport.
“We have to contact the Association and push them! At this rate, we’re all dead! If the boss swarm takes its time sweeping through the nearby ports, we might have a little time, but otherwise, we need to hurry!”
“Depending on how things go, we should consider withdrawing from Jeju Airport. We might handle an ordinary swarm, but a large-scale force led by a boss is impossible for us to face alone. We can’t just sit here and die meaningless deaths, so we must keep the option of leaving on the table.”
They were already feeling overwhelmed as the size of the monster swarms flocking to Jeju Airport increased.
If a massive swarm including a boss arrived, it would be a total massacre.
If they could at least hold them off at the cost of some casualties, they might try to endure, but in a situation where they were obviously going to be wiped out, there was no reason to throw their lives away.
At the mention of withdrawing from Jeju Airport, the Guild Masters nodded in agreement.
They had come because of the Association’s request for support, but they didn’t feel an obligation to die for it.
“Let’s contact the Association first and then decide. It won’t be too late to choose after we find out how things are going in Seoul.”
Regardless of the choice, they decided that talking to the Association was the priority.
They had to at least notify them that they would withdraw if reinforcements didn’t arrive by a certain time so that the other side could make their own preparations.
***
The Association headquarters was in a state of mourning.
Seoul hadn’t even been fully cleared yet, and the situation in Jeju was spiraling toward disaster.
“Damn it! Dungeon Breaks in four places at once! What kind of mess is this! Seoul isn’t even resolved, so what are we supposed to do about Jeju! Gah, I’m going crazy. What’s the status of Jeju right now?”
One of the executives answered the Association President’s question.
“We are steadily evacuating people via air and sea, but because the capacity per trip is limited, the process isn’t very smooth. Fortunately, large cruise ships have expressed their intent to join the rescue, so that should give us some momentum.”
Both the planes and the ships could only carry a few hundred people at a time.
However, large cruise ships could handle thousands.
Once they were fully deployed, the evacuation would speed up.
“That’s a relief, but considering the number of people still trapped on Jeju, we can’t just sit back and relax, can we?”
Jeju’s population was well over 600,000, and including tourists, that number was much higher.
Less than 100,000 had evacuated so far, meaning hundreds of thousands were still on the island.
If they didn’t find a solution, hundreds of thousands of casualties could occur.
Just then…
*Knock, knock.*
Someone knocked on the door and opened it cautiously.
*Click!*
“Excuse me… we’ve received word from Jeju.”
At the mention of Jeju, the Association President looked at the employee and asked, “From Jeju? What is it?”
“A boss has appeared and Moseulpo Port has fallen. Furthermore, monsters are converging around the boss, so the swarm’s size is rapidly increasing. The boss that destroyed Moseulpo is currently moving north. At this rate, it will likely destroy Hallim Outer Port, pass through Aewol, and head for Jeju Airport.”
The Association President bolted upright at the news that Moseulpo had fallen.
“What? Moseulpo fell? I thought over 30,000 people were evacuated there. What happened to them?”
“T-that… there’s no way to know the details yet. However, since it was overrun by monsters, it’s unlikely there are many survivors. The guilds there are saying that if we don’t provide a solution within 3 hours, they will withdraw from Jeju Airport. They say their current strength can’t handle a massive swarm gathered around a boss.”
The boss appeared, the monsters gathered, and Moseulpo Port fell in an instant.
Since that swarm was now moving north, the President could understand why the guilds defending Jeju Airport were feeling anxious.
But if they withdrew, the civilians there would fall into an immediate panic.
They had to prevent that at all costs.
“Ugh! I understand. You may go.”
“Yes, sir!”
As the employee left, the Association President slumped back into his chair and looked at the assembled officials.
“Sigh, what on earth are we supposed to do?”
Seeing the President’s grim expression, one executive spoke up tentatively.
“In this case, shouldn’t we ask for outside help? As an emergency measure, perhaps we could ask the nearest neighbor, Japan…”
The President’s face contorted with rage.
“What? You’re telling me to ask Japan for help? Are you even listening to yourself… Damn it!”
He shouted, but he couldn’t bring himself to finish.
They were in a situation where they had to grab at straws.
If Jeju was truly annihilated and hundreds of thousands died, the Association could never escape the responsibility.
“You have to make a decision. I don’t want to bow my head to Japan either, but we can’t just sit here doing nothing, can we? If the situation reaches the absolute worst, the blame will fall entirely on us.”
There was certainly logic in those words, but the President still couldn’t make the call easily.
The relationship between the Korean and Japanese Associations was that bad.
“Ugh…”
While the President was agonizing over the decision…
*Bam!*
Another employee rushed into the conference room.
“President! The Dungeon Break in Ahyeon-dong has entered its final cleanup phase!”
The President’s eyes widened.
“What! Is that true?”
“Yes! It seems a boss led a swarm of roughly 700 monsters to attack the temporary shelter, but they were wiped out by the party consisting of Changcheon, Genesis, the Holy Emperor, and the healer Kim Seong-jun! Currently, the guilds forming the defensive line are advancing slowly, narrowing their ranks to clear out the remaining monsters!”
At the report, the President asked urgently, “What about Healer Kim Seong-jun? And what are Changcheon, Genesis, and the Holy Emperor doing now?”
“They have successfully escorted the civilians from the temporary shelter outside the defensive line. After a brief rest, they are reportedly planning to re-enter the danger zone to assist in clearing the remnants!”
Hearing that they were going back in, the President jumped in surprise.
“No! They don’t need to be there for the cleanup! Jeju is in a much more critical state than Seoul, which is almost wrapped up! No, I’ll go there myself, so tell them to wait! Hurry!”
If Seong-jun’s group, along with Changcheon, Genesis, and the Holy Emperor went to Jeju right now, the situation would change drastically.
Since they had already handled the boss swarm that attacked the temporary shelter, they would be more than capable of stopping the boss on Jeju.
The President hurried out of the conference room, with his executives trailing close behind.
***
After successfully escorting the civilians outside the defensive line, Seong-jun was taking a short break with his companions.
“Phew. Clearing an A-rank Dungeon only for a Dungeon Break to happen out of nowhere. I don’t know what kind of chaos this is.”
“Still, I’m so glad Seong-jun’s uncle and aunt are safe. Oh, where did they go?”
Seong-jun nodded at Yuseon’s question.
“They were very shocked and exhausted, so I told them to go home and rest for now. I said I’d head over as soon as things here are finished.”
Seong-jun wanted to escort them personally, but the Dungeon Break crisis wasn’t over.
If he just ignored everything and left, people would surely gossip later.
Since he had confirmed they were safe, he intended to wrap things up here as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, Seong-jun’s wish was unlikely to be granted.
“Kim Seong-jun.”
Choi Gang-hyeok of Changcheon approached Seong-jun’s group.
“Ah! Guild Master Choi. Are you about to head back into the danger zone?”
Seong-jun hadn’t rested fully, but he was recovered enough to handle remaining monsters, so he slowly stood up.
Looking at him, Choi Gang-hyeok shook his head.
“Sigh, no. It looks like we have to go to Jeju Island.”
What kind of sudden nonsense was this?
Jeju Island?
“What? Jeju? I heard Hunters were already dispatched there, so why so suddenly?”
Seong-jun knew that a Dungeon Break had occurred in Jeju around the same time as the one in Seoul.
But since he knew Hunters had gone there, he didn’t see why they had to go too.
“Guilds from various regions did go to support, but since it’s a B-rank Dungeon Break, it seems they’ve reached their limit. Especially since a boss appeared and Moseulpo Port fell in an instant. The boss swarm is moving north rapidly, and they said if reinforcements aren’t sent immediately, they’ll abandon the defense and withdraw.”
Seong-jun’s expression soured.
“Damn it. I thought it was all over, and now it’s starting again?”
Choi Gang-hyeok continued.
“The Association President is on his way here, but we already know what he’s going to say. Regardless, Changcheon and Genesis have to go to Jeju under the mandatory service clause. The problem is the Holy Emperor. They said they would move according to your decision. If you go to Jeju, they go; if you stay here, they won’t go.”
When he heard that the Holy Emperor was suddenly dragging him into this, Seong-jun looked bewildered.
“Wait, what? Why are they dragging me into it? If they want to go, they go; if they don’t, they don’t.”
“Perhaps it’s because Karl Buckman’s treatment would be compromised if something happened to you? I can’t think of any other reason.”
In fact, the only reason the Holy Emperor had supported the Ahyeon-dong Dungeon Break was that Seong-jun was there.
If something happened to Seong-jun, Karl Buckman’s recovery would vanish into thin air.
“Hah, damn it.”
“Anyway, think it over until the President arrives.”
Leaving those words, Choi Gang-hyeok walked away.
Seong-jun’s group began to seriously deliberate over the trip to Jeju Island.