An hour had passed outside the Gate. Hunters milled around restlessly, uncertain about what was happening inside. It was, after all, supposed to be a C-Rank dungeon. Nothing unusual. Nothing dangerous.
So when the survivors finally emerged, the sight shook everyone to the core.
Bloodied, battered, and barely standing—Choi Jong-In, Cha Hae-In, and several other high-ranking Hunters of the Hunters Guild, along with Woo Jinchul from the Surveillance Team, stumbled out like they'd walked through hell itself.
Jinwoo walked beside Po, silent, thoughtful. We got a lot of answers in there, he mused, but not all. The real Architect… still isn't here. Just more shadows left behind.
Woo Jinchul approached, dragging his exhausted body forward with practiced military posture. Despite everything, the man still clung to professionalism.
Woo Jinchul:"Mr. Sung, Mr. Po… twenty of the highest-ranking Hunters died today. We were lucky. If this had turned into a dungeon break, the damage would've been unimaginable."He paused, staring at them."But… you're telling me… you two tried to clear this dungeon by yourselves?"
Po glanced at Jinwoo, then gave a small nod. The message was clear—You handle this one.
Sung Jinwoo (quietly):"We only made it out because of the Hunters Guild and the Surveillance Team. That much is clear."
Jinchul exhaled, heavy. His expression shifted.
Woo Jinchul:"We're notified anytime an S-Rank makes a move. The call to contact the Guild was mine. Even though the outcome… is still this."
He looked at the ground for a second, his voice dropping.
Woo Jinchul:"How did you know this would be a Double Dungeon?"
Jinwoo met his gaze."The dungeon called to us. We received a message—no text, no voice. Just... something in our minds. I can't show you proof because there isn't anything physical. Just... a pull."
Jinchul narrowed his eyes. Suspicion and respect warred on his face. These two... I can't read them. They're not like the others. They're... monsters.
Cha Hae-In approached, pale and scraped up but composed, she looked at them gently as she asked about their wellbeing.
Cha Hae-In:"Are you alright?"
She looked first at Po, her eyes filled with concern. He nodded and gave her a small smile.
Cha:"You idiot…"
Then she hugged him. Tight. Her lips met his in a soft, tired kiss—quiet and intimate, shared amidst the chaos. Around them, several low-ranked Hunters watched with red faces, unable to hide their envy.
Jinwoo managed a small grin."I'm good—"
He wobbled.
Po caught him before he hit the ground. Jinwoo was out cold—exhausted beyond limits. Without hesitation, Po lifted him into his arms and carried him to the hospital, knowing full well his friend would wake soon. He always did.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Shinjuku:
Two hundred thousand mana crystals had been delivered via truck, forming a wide perimeter around the massive S-Rank Gate. Yuri Orloff, famed barrier magician, stood tall at the center of it all, weaving magic from the pure energy pulsing around him.
A brilliant blue barrier sphere emerged, flawless in construction, pulsing like a heartbeat made of mana.
Yuri Orloff:"Perfect. Not a single weak point. A masterpiece of my craft."
But then he paused, muttering to himself, but loud enough to be heard by his assistant.
Yuri:"How strange…"
His assistant, puzzled, looked up from the mana-meter.
Assistant:"Sir?"
Yuri:"The barrier is flawless… but I can't help sensing another presence nearby."
High above, atop a nearby skyscraper, a tall man stood with arms folded, wrapped in a thick, fur-lined cloak. His features were obscured by the wind and shadow, but his gaze was sharp.
???:"It begins… at last. And the world will never be the same."
Near the barricaded perimeter, inside a forward base—
Kanae Tawate stood with her fellow S-Rank Hunters, eyeing the Gate with suspicion.
Kanae:"Mobilizing the army for something like this… What's the point? Regular weapons won't scratch whatever comes out of there."
One of her comrades shrugged grimly.
Comrade (AN: I kinda forgot the dude's name, sorry):"If Yuri's barrier fails, we're the backup plan. We hold the line, keep the casualties low, and hope someone strong enough shows up in time."
Kanae:"So we're meat shields. Just like the army."
Comrade:"As long as we're on the front lines, there's no difference. In the face of destruction, we're all human… and all expendable."
Back at Yuri's location, the assistant stared wide-eyed at the mana-meter, then he gazed up at the Gate, which was emiting mana waves and cracking.
Assistant:"Th-The Gate… it's opening."
Mana fluctuations surged through the air. The outer edges of the barrier rippled as though touched by a finger from another world.
Back in Korea.
Jinwoo woke with a start, gasping.
Jinho, Cha Hae-In, and Po were by his bedside in the hospital room.
Jinho:"Hyung! You're awake!"
Po:"You slept for three days."
Jinwoo blinked, stunned.
Jinwoo:"Three... what? Wait, the raid… Japan"—
He sat up urgently.
Po's expression turned grim.
Po:"The raid on the S-Rank Gate in Shinjuku, Japan…"
He paused, drawing out the tension like a true storyteller.
"...was a failure."
Giants poured out of the Gate—each the size of a building, with glowing red eyes and armor carved from stone. One of them lifted a massive axe and shattered the barrier with a single strike, tearing through it like glass.