Hmm. Anyway, Jinho was just as flashy as I remembered. The expensive armor, polished equipment, and confident smile practically screamed rich kid. Looking at him now, it was hard to believe he would eventually become one of the most loyal people in Jinwoo's life. As I observed the rest of the raid party, I noticed something else. A few of Dongsuk's companions couldn't hide the greed in their eyes. Their gazes lingered a little too long on Jinho's equipment and expensive gear. They probably thought nobody was paying attention, but their intentions were obvious enough to me.
Dongsuk himself was much better at hiding it. Earlier, I had caught a brief change in his expression. His eyes lit up for a split second before he quickly regained control and returned to his usual confident smile. It was such a subtle reaction that most people would have completely missed it. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't most people. The moment was brief, but it told me everything I needed to know. He was already calculating the value of the equipment and money standing right in front of him.
Meanwhile, Jinho remained completely unaware of the danger around him. He continued smiling and chatting casually, trusting the people he had only just met. Naive. Very naive. If not for Jinwoo's intervention in the original story, he would have already been walking toward his own death without realizing it. His trusting nature was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness.
A small smile appeared on my face. Fortunately for him, things were different now. I was here. Dongsuk and his crew might think they were being clever, but I already knew exactly what kind of people they were. I knew what they had done before, and I knew what they were planning to do again. They probably believed their act was convincing, that nobody could see through their fake friendliness and welcoming smiles.
"Tsk, tsk."
I almost felt sorry for Dongsuk.
You're still too inexperienced.
You think you're the hunter setting the trap. You think everyone around you is prey. But from my perspective, the outcome of this raid had already been decided. The moment I joined this party, your plans stopped mattering. You simply don't realize it yet.
For now, all I had to do was play along and wait.
"So, what exactly am I supposed to do?" I asked Dongsuk, even though I already knew the answer.
I was going to be the porter.
Dongsuk pointed toward a large backpack resting on the ground.
"Nothing complicated. Just carry our bags and stay close to us. Inside you'll find lunch boxes, spare clothes, equipment, first aid kits, and a bunch of other supplies."
He shrugged.
"A little bit of this and that."
Before he could continue, one of the hunters interrupted him.
"Dongsuk, that's enough. Let's get moving already."
"Yeah," another added with a laugh. "We're the ones doing all the fighting anyway. No need to explain every little detail to him."
A few of the others chuckled.
"Alright then," Dongsuk said. "Let's head in."
I adjusted the backpack on my shoulders and followed behind them.
As we ventured deeper into the area, the scenery gradually revealed itself. Massive concrete pillars stretched toward the ceiling, while unfinished walls and rusting steel beams filled the area. Piles of abandoned construction materials lay scattered everywhere, covered in layers of dust.
Dongsuk glanced around and whistled.
"Looks like construction stopped recently."
"Is it because of the recession?" someone asked.
"I think so."
Beside me, Jinho immediately jumped into the conversation.
"I heard it's been about two months since the chairman of the company running this project took nine hundred billion won and fled the country."
Several hunters looked over.
Jinho continued enthusiastically.
"Apparently all the employees and investors panicked. The entire project was abandoned shortly afterward."
As expected, he seemed to know a surprising amount about random topics.
A moment later, his attention shifted back to me.
"By the way, isn't that backpack heavy?"
He pointed toward the large pack resting on my shoulders.
"Are you okay carrying all that?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"It's manageable."
In reality, I barely felt its weight.
Compared to the daily quests and the physical improvements granted by my stats, carrying a few supplies was nothing.
Still, there was no reason to say that out loud.
Jinho blinked.
"Are you usually this quiet?"
I didn't answer immediately.
A nervous smile appeared on his face.
"Ah, was I being too talkative?"
He laughed awkwardly.
"It's just that people usually enjoy hearing what I have to say."
I glanced at him.
The guy really had no idea how strange that sounded.
"Sigh..."
Before I could respond, the hunters ahead suddenly stopped.
"We're here."
Everyone's attention shifted forward.
Whoooosh.
A powerful current of air rushed out from the darkness ahead.
Several hunters let out surprised noises.
"Ohhh."
"The entrance is huge."
"Yeah," one hunter muttered. "A gate this size is pretty rare."
Another frowned.
"Dongsuk, are you sure this is really a C-Rank gate?"
The massive entrance looked far more intimidating than anyone had expected.
Dongsuk snorted.
"Of course I'm sure."
He crossed his arms confidently.
"Why would the Association lie to us?"
Nobody answered.
"I heard th
As everyone stood before the massive cavern entrance, Jinho nervously glanced at the dark opening.
"Jinwoo, this gate seems kind of big. Do you think it's safe to go in?"
I looked toward the entrance before answering.
"The size of the gate doesn't matter. What's important is the amount of mana waves it emits. The Hunter's Association measures those mana waves and determines the gate's rank based on the results. Dungeons more dangerous than B-Rank are usually handled by the major guilds, while C-Rank gates and below generally aren't considered particularly hazardous."
At least, that's how things worked in theory.
"See?" Jinho said, visibly relieved. "I knew there was a scientific explanation."
Before he could continue talking, Dongsuk stepped forward.
"I'll go in first. Everyone follow my lead."
Without hesitation, he entered the gate.
The rest of the hunters quickly followed behind him.
The moment we crossed the threshold, darkness engulfed us.
The air inside felt cold and damp. The smell of earth and stone lingered heavily throughout the cavern.
"It's too dark."
"Kyuhwan, turn on the light."
"Okay."
Whoom.
A bright beam of light pierced the darkness.
The hunters immediately began examining their surroundings.
"What is this place?"
"This doesn't look like a normal dungeon."
"Why aren't there any magic beasts?"
"Beats me."
One of the hunters swept the flashlight across the cavern walls.
"All the lights are off too."
Normally, dungeons contained naturally glowing mana stones embedded throughout the walls and ceilings. Even caves deep underground usually possessed enough ambient light to navigate comfortably.
Yet this place was completely dark.
"Dungeons normally have glowing stones on the walls."
"Yeah."
"That's weird."
A feeling of unease slowly spread through the group.
The cavern stretched endlessly in multiple directions. Large tunnels branched off from the main chamber, creating a maze-like network of passageways.
Jinho moved closer to me.
"Jinwoo, do some dungeons not have any magic beasts?"
"Shhh."
Jinho immediately fell silent.
Perk.
A faint sound echoed somewhere in the darkness.
Then—
Rumble.
Rumble.
The ground trembled beneath our feet.
Several hunters stiffened.
"What was that?"
The vibrations grew stronger.
Rumble.
Rumble.
My senses immediately picked up multiple life signatures approaching from different directions.
They're coming.
"Insect-type monsters."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
"Insects?"
One of the hunters paled.
"Are we inside an ant hill or something?"
"Stop freaking us out, man!"
Another hunter forced a nervous laugh.
Unfortunately, nobody looked reassured.
Rumble.
Rumble.
The vibrations continued growing louder.
The walls themselves seemed to shake.
"They sound close."
"What's going on?"
"Why can't I see anything?"
A hunter swung his flashlight wildly through the darkness.
"There are too many caverns!"
The maze-like tunnels stretched in every direction, creating countless blind spots.
"Dongsuk!"
One of the hunters raised his voice.
"Can you see anything from over there?
"No."
His answer came a second later.
"I don't see a thing."
RUMBLEEEEE.
"Look up!"
The warning echoed through the cavern.
A split second later, several hunters instinctively raised their heads.
"Shit! Above us!"
Dark shapes suddenly emerged from the ceiling, their numerous legs clinging to the rocky surface as they rushed toward the raid party.
"Jinwoo! Stick close to me!" Jinho shouted.
"They're here!"
"They're coming from above!"
"How many of them are there?!"
The flashlight beams danced wildly across the cavern ceiling, revealing dozens of insect-like monsters crawling through the darkness.
Their sharp mandibles clicked together as they descended.
"Use magic! Shoot them down!"
One of the mages immediately began casting.
"I'll draw their attention when they get down here!" a tank shouted while raising his shield.
"There's too many of them!"
The monsters dropped from above like a living avalanche.
Crackkkkk!
BOOOOM!
Spells exploded against the cavern walls while arrows and blades flashed through the darkness.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of countless legs striking the ground filled the chamber.
"Over here!"
Dongsuk swung his weapon and roared.
"That's right! Over here, you dumb bugs!"
Several monsters immediately turned toward him.
"Damage dealers! What are you waiting for?!"
Swishhh!
A sword flashed through the air.
The battle erupted into chaos.
Hunters and monsters collided throughout the cavern as spells illuminated the darkness with bursts of light. Giant insects crashed against shields while mages unleashed attack after attack from the rear. The confined environment amplified every sound, making the battle seem even more intense than it actually was.
Fortunately, despite the initial surprise, the raid party's strength was more than sufficient to handle the threat.
Several minutes later, the last monster collapsed.
Silence gradually returned to the cavern.
The hunters released collective sighs of relief.
Dongsuk wiped the blood from his weapon before speaking.
"Are you guys planning on leaving after this?"
Several hunters looked confused.
"This dungeon might take us a while, so pace yourselves."
"Yes, sir!"
"And gather up all the essence stones."
A grin appeared on his face.
"They'll be split among the nine of us."
The hunters immediately brightened.
"This is my favorite part."
"Mine too."
The atmosphere became noticeably lighter as everyone began collecting the valuable crystals.
Meanwhile, Jinho approached me.
"You saved us back there."
"Hm?"
"How did you know the magic beasts were going to drop from above?"
I shrugged.
"It was just a feeling."
Jinho's eyes widened.
"You have really good instincts."
Instincts, huh.
If only it were that simple.
Before I could respond, Dongsuk suddenly looked in my direction.
"I'm glad things went smoothly."
A smile remained on his face.
"Keep it up."
For a brief moment, his eyes narrowed.
"But I hope your instincts won't pick up anything unnecessary."
There it is.
Most people probably wouldn't have noticed the subtle threat hidden beneath his words.
I did.
The smile remained on my face, but internally I was already taking note of it.
Looks like he's beginning to show his true colors.
Before anyone could continue the conversation, another hunter called out.
"Dongsuk! Come take a look at this!"
The raid leader immediately walked over.
"What is it?"
The hunter pointed toward several monster corpses scattered across the cavern floor.
"Look at the wounds."
Everyone gathered around.
Dongsuk crouched beside one of the dead insects.
His expression slowly darkened.
"These aren't sword wounds."
"No."
Another hunter nodded.
"They weren't caused by our attacks."
Someone else examined a corpse nearby.
"The burns weren't caused by magic either."
A heavy silence settled over the group.
One of the hunters swallowed nervously.
"It almost looks like they were ripped apart."
He pointed toward the mangled remains.
"Look. These marks are everywhere."
The surrounding corpses displayed the same injuries.
Limbs torn from sockets.
Exoskeletons shattered by overwhelming force.
Bodies ripped apart as though something had crushed them effortlessly.
A chill ran through several hunters.
"They were already torn to pieces before we fought them?"
"Could the monsters have been fighting each other over territory?"
"Maybe."
"But if that's true..."
Nobody finished the sentence.
They didn't need to.
If creatures strong enough to massacre dozens of these insect monsters existed deeper within the dungeon...
Then the creatures they had just defeated were nothing more than prey.