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Dungeon Break (1)

About a week after I’d sent the [Vital Flame], and treasures recovered from the Dragon lair to the Senator, Oh Jin-Hwa contacted me. When I pressed the terminal, I heard the familiar voice of Oh Jin-Hwa.

“It’s been a while since I said hello. Have you been well?”

Ever since I’d opened a deal with the Senator, she was designated as our liaison, and she has always maintained a polite tone and attitude toward me.

“Please understand that I’m contacting you on the phone when really, I should have visited you.”

“That’s all right. Please go ahead.”

“I’m calling to let you know the settlement details of some of the items you’ve asked me to sell.”

Considering the expected price and the variability of prices being adjusted by auction, the Senator decided to give a down payment of some of the money to me and settle the rest following the amount sold at auction.

I burst into laughter as I listened to her following words.

“Oh, really? Is that what he did?”

The Senator was said to have had invited 50 people from all over the world who had been Awakened but had never roamed around dungeons for him to sell [Vital Flame]. It was a selection of those who were old enough to have money laying around, or their adult children openly sharing the inheritance, and those who had the conditions to respond to such transactions.

The Senator conducted a test on a man to prove its effectiveness for those rich but suspicious people. The experiment showed a middle-aged hunter returning to his young body in his 20s using a trace amount of flame in front of everyone. Soon after, he even conducted a thorough physical examination.

“And then he put it up for auction, right?”

What impressed me was the condition of the product at auction. Unlike ordinary fires, the fire extinguishes itself if it burns Mana to a certain extent, so if a lot of Mana was burnt to increase the maintenance time, you needed a bigger fuel source.

“So, he sold it by dividing it, to the point that it would only burn the potential Mana for a month and then would go out?” It was a kind of trial period. The size of the flame I handed over to the Senator was enough for 50 Awakens with average potential Mana to burn for ten years, but he’d sold only a portion of it.

Oh Jin-Hwa answered, “That’s right. Of course, we notified the buyers in advance and traded after getting their consent. Saying that after about a month of rejuvenation, even if there’s more Mana left to burn, the fire will go out, and they will return to their original bodies.”

Aging couldn’t be stopped even through Awakening.

Now, let us say that the flame of life was slowly extinguishing, and you suddenly regained your youth just before you were due to die. The days you dreamed of would unfold. But then, if you went back to being an aged person after a month, even if you prepared yourself in advance, the psychological shock, and the loss, would leave you dumbfounded.

“They say that the taste of the meat could only be known by only those who tried so that they will search for the item again much more desperately.” It was akin to letting drug addicts sample the wares, knowing that the sample was enough to form an addiction—customers for life.

“From that point on, the Senator will slowly release the volume and raise the price. He said that it’s not a bad trade for self-preservationists who are Awakened but do not contribute power to humanity, since it offers them to contribute at least financially.”

If he sold at a high price, I would get more money, so there was nothing bad about it.

“So, the amount to be settled first…is a little over $700 million.”

I nodded when I heard the number. More than half of the treasure retrieved from the Dragon lair was yet to be disposed of, and in the case of [Vital Flame], the quantity sold this time was about 1% of the total inventory. As more goods were sold, the amount of the settlement would increase beyond control.

‘First of all, I can collect some of Celestial Dragon’s shares with this settlement.’

From then on, the number of sales coming in would go into a vital military fund to prepare for the future.

“As you may have guessed, it’s a bit big to move in the dark… so I think the remittance will be made words, she meant illegally, “The price of the product is expected to rise significantly in the next auction, and the volume is expected to increase as well…. From then on, it will be impossible for our customers to pay in full cash. Therefore, the settlement should be done in a complicated way…I recommend that you prepare ahead of time.”

This meant that we should plan for a few more windows, for traditional ways for money to travel.

“Can I leave that to you, too?”

“Yes, I understand.”

I ended the call.

‘All right, now the live ammunition is ready.’

Soon, it was time to start shopping.

*

“What? Are you buying my shares at that high price? Of course, I appreciate it.”

Among the group that wished to leave the Celestial Dragon, those who followed Han-Seol planned to establish a small elite guild as before. Therefore, they were in dire need of initial capital. Even the artifacts that they were using, except for the distributed personal belongings, needed to be returned to the Celestial Dragon to require much financial assistance.

“Well, please sign here.”

Instead of Seo Jin-Wook’s name, I used the ‘company’ name that I owned and kept secret. I couldn’t do much about those hunters who have already sold it, but more people tested the waters by showing them the suggested price from others as well.

Since an amount much larger than what was negotiated from others was offered, the sale contract proceeded quickly. Also, a special statement was added to each contract, in which that they would receive the money in advance. Still, the final timing of the transfer and the renewal of the account holder’s (shareholder) list would be carried out on a specific date.

“Thank you.”

“Oh, no, thank you. I sold it at a much higher price than I thought it would be.”

Watching the scene of the meeting with my representative on CCTV, the Hunters’ faces were all full of smiles.

‘The fact that all guild members who followed Han-Seol, who leave, will be the same as in the previous life. I can’t hold on to them.’

However, I would be in trouble if more left all at once. Therefore, the person I met for the next staff meeting was a man who was not in support of Han-Seol and still held shares of the Celestial Dragon.

‘Team Leader Yoon Ho-Min!’

I met him at a high-end restaurant in downtown Seoul, avoiding the public eye.

“Wow, are you really Jin-Wook?” I’ve heard rumors, but I never thought people could change like this.”

He was one of the original members who founded Celestial Dragon with Seo Gyu-Cheol and led the exploration team 1. He was a Hunter who had maintained the A-Rank for a long time, although he has been relegated to third place with Han-Seol joining and gained a high reputation among hunters who were not part of the Han-Seol faction.

“The fact that you’re meeting me today…….”

“Of course, it’s a secret to the Guild Master.”

That he secretly came to see me, even though he knew how much he was looking for me, meant that he, Yoon Ho-Min, had already given up his hopes on Seo Gyu-Cheol.

“How’s the situation these days?”

From his mouth, words similar to what I had heard from Secretary Kim before poured out. I pretended to listen, but as soon as his mouth closed, I told Yoon Ho-Min.

“I think you can guess why I asked you to meet me. Instead of my father, I’m going to take responsibility for the Celestial Dragon.”

Yun Ho-Min’s eyes narrowed, searchingly, “You want me to push you, right?”

“Yes, I don’t think I need to explain everything as to why my father is no longer qualified to lead the Celestial Dragon.”

“Don’t get me wrong. There will be a backlash because of the underlying rumors and the fact that you are too young. Of course, it was the surprising news that you received the SS-Rank this time.”

“That’s why I’m asking for your help. Since you’re the most influential person who can lead public opinion at this point.”

“Hmm.”

He remained silent for a while as he chose his next words, “As you see, those who followed Assistant Guild Master Han-Seol are virtually impossible to persuade. From the first place, it wasn’t because of the value of Celestial Dragon’s name, but rather because they followed the person of Han-Seol.”

“That’s right.”

“However, the problem now is…. the hunters who don’t belong to that population are shaken. Focused on the top rank, that is. If all those hunters leave, the whole guild will be shaken.”

It was also time-consuming for me to bring in outside talents, and the plan should’ve been carried out step by step. I didn’t want the pillar to be pulled out and the roof to collapse in a day.

“We will need to regain their trust in our name. To prevent more from departing, we need something symbolic to lead them. Just like my father gathered them through the title of the first S-rank Hunter in Korea. I’m going to play that role.”

“I heard of the recent performances. You turned the Grand Croix’s bastard, and left him unable to fight, and attacked the S-level dungeon with a small number of people. You’ve also retrieved the prophecy for the dungeon break that is only a month away, am I correct?”

The last part was to be distributed to the media tomorrow because the Embargo was still on the line.

“But it’s not enough just yet. Considering that it hasn’t been a month since you received an SS-Rank, your career as a hunter is too short, and you haven’t shown enough performances. The old rumors were so harsh…. that it takes such a great achievement to cover up its notoriety. Crucially, the leave of absence has been too long. This situation is something Jin-Wook needs to understand.” He was lost in thought for a moment and soon stroked his chin and said, “Wait, perhaps the prophecy… that could be the key. The timings are just right.”

Timing… He would never dream that this timing was not a product of chance but of my creation.

“The Hunter Management will soon order each guild to form and convene a break response team.”

“I’m expecting it.”

An instantaneous dungeon that collapsed as soon as the gate opens, now that the prophecy had been given, meant we had to start preparing. And in such a disastrous situation, the state could convene a Hunter, and each guild will organize its own arrangement according to the level of force standardized by the state.

“There will be all four major guilds, including Celestial Dragon.”

I could guess what he was about to say because it was a conversation that I induced.

“If you really show your qualification to represent the Celestial Dragon there, you’ll have a point as an irresistible trend.”

In other words, he asked for a proper performance on the dungeon break. Of course, I was going to do so without him asking. I nodded my head.

“All right.”

Everything was going as I intended.

*

The day after I met Team Leader Yoon Ho-Min, the president’s public statement was broadcast live. The government immediately released details, and the media reported on the instantaneous dungeon.

“There’s a reason they put up a few days for the embargo.”

From the government’s perspective, it would have taken time to come up with a response plan.

‘… The room for doubt of the ‘prophecy’ found in the dungeon was very low from the past cases, so the government declared a state of emergency and martial law throughout Gwacheon City after a careful and thorough review. There is still enough time left until the expected dungeon break, so Gwacheon citizens should calmly evacuate under government control.’

Korea’s latest experience with the dungeon break, of A-rank class, was three years ago. People who remembered the nightmares of that time were in extreme anxiety.

“How many people died during the last A-rank break?”

“20,000 dead… 8,000 missing.”

“The missing are practically dead, aren’t they? What should we do? Gwacheon is just below Seoul. Shouldn’t we evacuate too?”

“There would be a case to answer, where the dungeon that they were trying to clear turned into ‘very unstable’ without a sign, and then it suddenly collapsed. Wouldn’t it be okay this time since we know the timing in advance?”

“No, I can’t be here because I’m nervous. I think I need to take my family away from Seoul for now.”

In addition to Gwacheon City, evacuation processes continued throughout Gyeonggi Province, including Seoul. The entire land of Gyeonggi Province did not empty at once. Still, compared to before, it significantly reduced the general vehicle traffic on the road, and military vehicles filled the vacancy. Then, an emergency gathering was made for the hunters.

‘Each Hunter Guild is required to assemble a break emergency response team according to the government-proposed standards, by the following day.’

The government did not issue an order to rally all hunters across the country before the prophecy’s coordinates mentioned it. Instead, they ordered the guilds to configure forces in accordance with the protocol created by analyzing A-Class breaks at local and international levels and placed the called personnel in several stages. It was obvious that if the government gathered all the hunters in one place and an accident occurred, it would be the day of the Korean Hunters’ annihilation.

And a few days later, my name was missing from the list of the first line of defense submitted by the Celestial Dragon Guild. That fact was soon leaked to the press by someone. Various discussion took place on message boards:

– Is it because an SS-Rank Hunter is a national treasure and the treasure of Celestial Dragons? But then… Boldly speaking, isn’t Hunter supposed to fight and protect people at times like this? Aside from the fact that saving it only makes it useless, what if they can’t stop the break and the country goes to shit because everyone dies?

↳ Nah, I bet he’s excluded to the back to be inserted if ever the first level of defense goes down.

↳ By the way… Isn’t it Seo Jin-Wook who brought out the prophecy from the S-Class dungeon?

↳ Yepp, even only considering that he retrieved the prophecy, I think he deserves to be treated well. If not for him, without knowing anything like three years ago, the dungeon might have collapsed, and the monsters would have poured out… It gives me chills just by thinking about it.

There were many stories about the contents of the prophecy.

– But isn’t it rare that the prophecy is about the country’s dungeon? Our country is lucky this time. Is Seo Jin-Wook lucky?

↳ True. An expert said on TV… that it’s a very low probability. But isn’t this too coincidental? They roamed the prophecy dungeon on the day he got the SS-Rank, and there he was, holding the prophecy about the dungeon break which happens in Korea, of all places? It’s either that he knew it in advance, or isn’t it fake?

↳ No to sudden conspiracies here. How can he alter that when Seo Jin-Wook isn’t the system itself? If it’s as you say, either Seo Jin-Wook knows the future, or he can use the texts that can’t be interpreted without magic, as he wishes. To be honest, though, does that make sense?

↳ Anyways, so what is Seo Jin-Wook doing, and where is he? If it were in Celestial Dragon’s style, they must have done continuous press conferences for 3 hours, but he is nowhere to be seen.

Within the deadline set by the government, most Gwacheon citizens completed evacuation, and some of the remaining people, who did not comply with martial law, were forcibly taken away after several warnings.

In the meantime, the Blue House has broadcast several public statements.

‘…Once again, for those outside the area where martial law is imposed, please concentrate on your livelihood with confidence. According to global statistics, more than 95% of the predicted A-Class brakes tend to evolve early in the coming days. The government has thoroughly analyzed existing cases and worked closely with each Hunter Guild to form groups with sufficiently responsive forces.’

The message was aimed at those who were anxious about the fact that there was no foreign support group, unlike the Siheung 8 dungeon. The A-class break could be prevented enough with the country’s own power, and all four major guild chiefs in Korea, except for the Gate Keepers, would gather at the first line of defense to prepare for possible situations.

What that meant was…

‘I’ll be reunited with Seo Gyu-Cheol there.’

So, time went by, and the day that I left on the prophecy came. I packed a bunch of artifacts that I had prepared, in the meanwhile, handed them out to my two companions, and I also equipped myself. I even held the devil’s sword, bound with the reinterpretation of the devil’s contract.

“Shall we?”

The three of us headed to Gwacheon.