~ Chapter : 08 ~
On the day the first dungeon gate opened,
how many people died?
About 100 people were sucked into the gate. And all of them died.
At that time, there were no Awakeners, so it was impossible to clear the dungeon.
After that, a dungeon gate radar program was developed, and Hunters were placed in places where gates were likely to appear.
But suddenly, a dungeon appeared in front of her house.
A deep blue vortex swirled violently and began pulling in everything around it.
“Ah… ahh!”
Hyoji was also included in what it was pulling in.
“No!”
Hyoji grabbed a tall dungeon plant and tried to hold on.
But the gate’s power was too strong, and her grip gradually weakened.
“Someone please help me!”
But Hyoji also knew—there was no one who could hear her.
Wooooong!
A blue flash from the gate swallowed her entire vision.
The light was too strong to endure, so she closed her eyes tightly.
When she opened them again, she had already been swept inside the dungeon.
‘Damn it… what do I do now?’
They said Hunters would take time to arrive. That meant she had to survive alone for a long time.
Hyoji looked around, trying to find a safe place.
‘No monsters yet.’
But she had to stay alert. Monsters could appear anytime, anywhere.
It was a good thing she had read a book called “How to Survive in a Dungeon.”
‘It said don’t stray too far from the dungeon entrance.’
But staying here felt like certain death.
The place looked eerie… perfect for monsters to appear.
“Grrrrr…”
Her bad feeling immediately came true.
A strange roar echoed across the wide, grassland-like dungeon. A huge shadow in the distance was the source.
The shadow was as big as a building. Since it was an A-rank dungeon, even the monsters were A-rank size.
“…That’s a dinosaur.”
It was on a completely different level from the mantis and wolf monsters she had faced before.
‘If I meet that, I die instantly.’
Every time the dinosaur moved, dust rose around it.
‘Isn’t that a boss monster?’
Hyoji pressed the [Stealth] skill in her skill window.
It was a skill that let her hide from boss monsters.
It used to last 3 minutes, but now it lasted 10 minutes after her level increased.
“Keeeeee!”
But it didn’t seem to be a boss monster.
The dinosaur was running straight toward Hyoji.
“Ahhh!”
Hyoji ran for her life. While running, she frantically searched through her skill window.
There had to be something useful.
[Monster Charm: Dungeon plants seduce monsters. Duration: 10 minutes.]
“Oh, this is good.”
Since it was a grassland dungeon, there were plenty of plants around.
Hyoji immediately activated it.
[Skill activated!]
“Keeeeek!”
The monster chasing her suddenly stopped.
When she turned around, the giant dinosaur was sitting in front of a small flower.
“Huh. It works insanely well.”
Since it lasted 10 minutes, she just needed to hide until then.
Hyoji quickly hid in a bush near the entrance.
She had no idea how long she would need to survive, and worse—her phone battery was dead.
‘They expect me to clear this when there’s a monster like that?’
Ridiculous.
Even heavily armed Hunters would struggle here, but she had come in with nothing.
Her only goal was survival.
Time passed.
When the skill duration ended, the dinosaur that had been charmed roared loudly.
That roar called other dinosaurs.
Soon, more than ten giant dinosaurs gathered.
“What do I do?”
When people are about to die, laughter comes before tears.
“Haha… haha…”
There was no way she could fight those monsters.
‘Better not even look.’
Maybe if she was lucky, she could stay hidden.
That hope lasted only 10 seconds.
“Keeeeek!”
The dinosaurs sniffed around and started heading toward her hiding spot.
‘Where are the Hunters?!’
There was a limit to how long she could hold on. There was nowhere left to run.
“Anything is fine—just activate a skill and get rid of them!”
She shouted desperately with her eyes shut.
She was a level 100 Awakened—something should happen.
And strangely, her wish came true.
Her words echoed:
“Get rid of them…”
“Get rid of them…”
“Get rid of them…”
The monsters reacted to her voice and rushed toward her.
“Keeeeek!”
“Graaah!”
The massive dinosaurs charged in.
At the very last moment—
Flash!
A brilliant light exploded between the monsters.
“Keeeeek!”
The dinosaurs had been right in front of her, but strangely, she wasn’t hurt.
‘What…?’
Hyoji slowly opened her eyes.
“Ugh!”
The monsters were still right there—mouths wide open, ready to devour her. But they weren’t moving at all, like they had turned to stone.
“K… kuek!”
Only their eyes were moving.
“What… what is this?”
Confused, Hyoji slowly backed away. Even as she moved, the monsters could not follow her.
[Skill Activated!]
[Flower Flash]
[Due to Flower Flash, monsters are blinded.]
[Recommended combo skill: Flower Rebellion]
‘These weren’t in my skill window…’
Whatever it was, she had only one option.
Try it.
She pressed confirm.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out, like a bomb had gone off.
Bang! Bang!
What looked like a field of flowers suddenly turned red—and exploded like bombs.
Hyoji couldn’t believe her eyes.
‘Flower Rebellion… this is what it meant?’
Flower bombs. Who would ever imagine that?
She blinked in shock as explosions spread across the field.
The monsters were being wiped out helplessly.
“Keeeeek!”
With terrible screams, one by one the dinosaurs turned into black dust and disappeared.
If she had known she had this skill, she wouldn’t have been running for her life.
She collapsed onto the ground, completely drained.
At least she was alive.
‘Wait… didn’t they say Hunters were coming?’
What would she say when they asked where all the monsters went?
Now that things were safe, new worries came instead.
Just moments ago, all the monsters had completely vanished.
Like they were never there.
Even the exploding flowers had returned to normal, blooming beautifully again.
She was completely alone in the wide field.
“This is… a problem too.”
Before she could even feel relief—
“I’m entering.”
A strange man’s voice echoed through the silent dungeon.
Hyoji flinched and quickly hid.
“There’s nothing here. It’s quiet.”
—That can’t be. There’s no way there are no monsters.
“I have no reason to lie.”
The voice was calm, cold, and strict.
‘Why did I hide?’
Now she just felt suspicious.
An innocent civilian caught in a gate… yet she felt like a criminal.
—Any civilians caught inside?
“No one at the entrance. I’ll go deeper.”
—Report back when you find something.
The man had a cold face to match his voice.
“Handsome…”
Hyoji accidentally muttered.
‘Oops!’
I wasn’t supposed to say that!
But it was too quiet—he probably didn’t hear it.
She covered her mouth and held her breath.
After some time—
‘He should be gone now…’
She slowly peeked out from the bush.
“Monster?”
“Eek!”
The same cold face suddenly appeared right in front of her.
The man who she thought had left was still there.
“…Not a monster.”
His emotionless eyes scanned her.
‘Where have I seen him before…’
Tall, handsome, cold aura… he looked like a famous Hunter.
“Ghk!”
She got so startled she hiccupped.
“Were you caught in the gate?”
“Yes. A gate opened in front of my house…”
“How long have you been inside? Did you encounter any monsters?”
“Monsters? No… I didn’t see any.”
She lied.
She didn’t want him to find out she was an Awakened.
“…You’re saying there were no monsters in an A-rank dungeon?”
“Yes, yes!”
“It’s been 30 minutes since the gate opened. Not even one?”
His gaze sharpened.
“None!”
He stared at her silently.
“Then you are not injured.”
“Yes!”
The interrogation ended faster than expected.
He said he would check the dungeon and left her there.
Soon he returned and made a call.
“Yes. One civilian caught in the gate. No monsters. Why would I lie? There isn’t even an ant here.”
The other person seemed to be someone he had spoken to earlier.
“You’re saying it’s considered a cleared dungeon?”
Then his eyes landed on Hyoji again.
“No way. She’s not even an Awakener. I’ll return.”
He hung up and approached the gate exit, raising his hand.
Wooooong—
A swirling blue portal opened.
Hyoji quietly followed behind him.
‘Wait… isn’t this going to be reported as a monster-less dungeon? Am I going to have to do interviews?’
And Hyoji’s worry became reality.
