Episode 13
“What? You’re going into a dungeon?”
“I told you, it’s for gathering. I’m going in as part of the 7th gathering team.”
Everything that grows in a dungeon can be used as crafting material, so gathering was a crucial job.
Special dungeons that disappear once cleared only offered a single opportunity for gathering, so only high-ranked Awakened individuals could apply to those teams.
In contrast, regular dungeons remained even after being cleared, so gathering teams would enter later in staggered shifts.
That’s why gathering teams for regular dungeons were recruited through public announcements.
So far, More had only been selected twice. She applied again out of habit the moment she saw the new posting, without expecting much.
But she actually got picked. Even though she was only an E-rank, her Tamer class must’ve scored her some points.
“The 7th team? Then everything’s already been picked clean.”
“There might still be some plants or bugs.”
In dungeons, plants and insects regenerate over time, even after being collected. And finding those was what More was best at.
“There’ll be a lot of people on the gathering team, won’t that be a problem?”
“Twelve people at most. Everyone moves independently inside the dungeon anyway. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’m still worried… MoreMore, what are you supposed to do if a shady guy tries to lure you with treats?”
“Kick him in the groin while yelling ‘Screw you!’”
“Correct. Go make lots of money.”
More tucked her now-warm phone into her pocket and turned on the faucet.
A cool stream of water flowed through the hose. After watering the plants and taking a shower, it was already time to leave.
She quickly changed clothes and stepped outside.
“Today’s going to be hot too.”
It was only 9 a.m., but the air was already humid and sticky. After walking just ten minutes to the bus stop, sweat was beading on her forehead.
Just then, the bus appeared in the distance. As usual, More checked the number—then froze.
On the side of the bus was a massive image of Kyeonsuho‘s face.
“For your future.”
It was a public service ad from the Awakening Management Agency. More stared at Kyeonsuho’s chaste yet subtly seductive face.
‘Did he find a Tamer yet?’
It had been a week since she went to the Agency for re-evaluation.
So far, there had been no news of a new team member joining Special Team 1.
Even when Kyeonsuho flew to Australia for a mission a few days ago, he went alone. She’d rewatched the departure footage several times just to be sure.
It was unclear whether they still hadn’t found a Tamer or if they’d recruited one who simply wasn’t taken on the overseas mission.
“Miss, aren’t you getting on?”
“Oh! Yes, I’m getting on!”
Lost in thought, she hadn’t even noticed the bus doors open. Flustered, More boarded and sat in an empty seat.
Since it was after rush hour, the bus wasn’t crowded. She pulled out her phone and looked up strategies for the dungeon she’d be entering today.
It was a C-rank dungeon that had appeared last year—not too difficult to tackle. There was only one named boss.
More carefully studied the internal layout of the dungeon shown in the guide video.
It’s always better to know something than nothing when going in.
Once inside, gathering teams had to move quickly and efficiently.
If you fumbled around like a newbie, you’d leave empty-handed.
At the dungeon entrance, an exhausted-looking staff member from the Awakening Agency stood with a blank expression, as if they’d been working overtime all week. The agency’s badge hung from a wrinkled suit.
“Hunter Kang More? I’ll confirm your identity with your device.”
After operating the device, her Awakener ID number appeared. The staff, barely paying attention, pointed toward the dungeon entrance.
“Entry is at 10:30 a.m., and you must exit by 4:30 p.m. You can check your assigned zone via your device. If you’re late, your collected items may be confiscated. Oh, and you know you’re responsible for your own lunch, right?”
“Yes, I brought it.”
“If a second wave starts, you must send an emergency signal to the Agency and evacuate immediately.”
A second wave referred to a strange phenomenon where a named boss regenerated in a dungeon that had already been cleared.
“Is that likely?”
Startled, More asked, and the staff flipped through the documents.
“For this dungeon, the probability of a second wave is 0.025%.”
“Oh…”
So, basically nonexistent.
“You’ll enter in 15 minutes. Please wait over there.”
“Thank you.”
More set an alarm on her device and headed to the designated area.
About ten people had already gathered there. It seemed like they knew each other from previous jobs, as the atmosphere was friendly.
Standing apart from them was one man.
‘Wow, he’s huge.’
Awakened individuals were generally larger than average, but this guy stood a whole head taller than even the others.
More stared at him for a moment, then tilted her head.
‘Why does he look so familiar?’
His face was hidden under a black baseball cap pulled low and a mask, but the angle from his shoulders to arms and the taper from broad chest to narrow waist looked very familiar.
‘That kind of build isn’t common. This is weird.’
She pulled her attention away from the man and opened the online community Areumdaul, Gyeon (A Beautiful Gyeon).
“Ugh…”
Once again, the forum was full of posts cursing Kyeonsuho.
As she skimmed through the usual complaints about his personality, her eyes stopped on one particular thread title.
[Members-only Board] Telling the scariest story of this summer
Author: (Anonymous)
My sister recently started working at the Awakening Agency—not as an Awakened, just a regular employee.
A few days ago, KSH went to Australia, right? She went as part of the support team.
She got so stressed that she developed depression and gained 5 kg from stress eating.
Anyway, after the mission ended, his condition was apparently seriously off.
You know that eerie calm before a storm? It was like that. Everyone was so scared they didn’t say a word.
And in the middle of that deathly quiet plane, there was this weird sound.
Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click.
It was the sound of a drug injector administering ten consecutive doses of tranquilizer.
↳ Whoa, is this real??
↳ Can you summarize…?
↳ Why would you ask for a summary on a horror story;;
↳ TL;DR:
1. Trapped on a plane
2. With an Awakened guy who might go berserk
3. And that guy is that freakin’ Gyeon
↳ OMG that’s terrifying
↳ The fact he disappeared right after landing makes it even scarier 😨
As expected, Kyeonsuho either hadn’t found a Tamer yet or hadn’t brought one for this overseas mission.
That would explain the tranquilizer injections.
“Isn’t that dangerous…?”
She once saw a video where even a heavily diluted sedative was enough to calm an elephant.
If someone were injecting that kind of powerful drug repeatedly, even an Awakened person couldn’t come out unscathed.
Moreover, Awakened individuals generally avoided tranquilizers. If Kyeonsuho needed multiple doses, how horrible must that be?
“I’d lose my temper too.”
People who cursed him without knowing the full story felt so unfair to her. Feeling down, More typed a comment.
After posting it, she instinctively checked for typos and spacing. Then she clicked the edit button again.
“Gotta remove the period.”
Just as she was calmly editing her comment—
Suddenly, the world around her darkened.
The tall man who had been standing alone was now silently right in front of her. His enormous shadow completely swallowed her.
“Wh-Who…?”
More slowly tilted her head up and looked at him.
Hidden under the brim of his cap were long eyes, black irises that seemed to absorb light. Even with a mask on, his aura was overwhelming.
“……”
Isn’t it a fan’s basic instinct to recognize their favorite idol just by their silhouette?
The moment More realized who it was, her brown eyes went wide.
“Wha? W-Wait—?”
The man’s eyes curved slightly. Then, from behind his black mask, a cold voice flowed out.
“Why did you reject me?”
“……!”
The voice she had heard countless times in dungeon videos filled her ears. More’s soul practically left her body.
It’s him. It’s really Kyeonsuho.
It’s really, really Kyeonsuho.
“…Is this a dream?”
