* * *
“Inho!”
At that moment, the door burst open as his father rushed inside.
Judging by the strong smell of food, he had been preparing breakfast when he ran over.
“M-Monsters outside…!”
“Monsters?”
That’s right.
A dungeon break had happened right near our house.
Normally, a dungeon break referred to when a gate left unattended for over ten days burst open, spewing monsters.
But sometimes, gates would burst as soon as they formed—movies called these ‘mutant gates.’
If I remembered correctly, this particular event played quite a significant role in the movie too.
In other words, the situation was serious.
I hurriedly tried to get off the bed, but my body stumbled, and I grabbed the edge of the desk for support.
The corner of the desk crumbled like a cracker with a snapping sound.
Damn it.
Today was the fourth day since I lost my sight.
In just a few hours, it would return—but why did a dungeon break have to happen now of all times?
Even in this urgent situation, Dad rushed over and expertly supported me.
“Careful! Even if it’s urgent, you have to move slowly.”
Chirp.
At that moment, Jjaekjjaek, who had been sleeping in my clothes, hopped out and chirped. I had meant to send him back to Woo Jaehyun a while ago, but I’d been too distracted at the time to think about Jjaekjjaek.
Because I didn’t know his number, I was practically just keeping him temporarily for now.
Honestly, I didn’t know why he even bothered taking my contact info.
Woo Jaehyun had never once reached out to me.
With Dad’s help, I stepped out into the living room and immediately turned my gaze toward the large floor-to-ceiling window.
I couldn’t see anything, but I could still sense the energy.
Dad, clearly nervous, clung tightly to my arm.
“Winged monsters are destroying the buildings.”
Boom—!
Before he could even finish speaking, a heavy thud hit the window.
Of course, the glass didn’t shatter.
After all, our apartment, located on the 30th floor, had already been fortified by ‘Seo Inho.’
We had paid a hefty price to an A-rank supporter to get it done, so most attacks would bounce right off.
“But they can’t seem to get any closer after slamming into it like that. Inho, that’s your doing, right?”
“Yes… but if the building collapses, it won’t matter.”
Just as I said, if the building fell, the barrier would be useless.
I tugged at Dad’s arm and quickened my pace.
“We need to get to the shelter.”
“The shelter? Y-you want us to go outside?”
It was natural for him to be afraid, with monsters swarming like that.
They were B-rank monsters, after all.
Even most awakened would be terrified unless they were high-rankers.
And for someone unawakened?
That went without saying.
“Father, please help me get to the red room.”
Of course, I had no intention of sending Dad out defenseless.
The “red room” referred to the bribe storage — unlike the other rooms with plain white doors, this one was painted bright red.
“Father, I’ll explain. Could you help me find some items?”
Since I’d fallen into this world and had nothing much to do at home, I often wandered into the bribe storage room multiple times a day.
I used to spend hours fascinated by the unfamiliar dungeon items, losing track of time as I examined them one by one.
I never imagined that knowledge would come in handy like this.
“First, there’s a fur coat—it’s a dark brown, almost chestnut color.”
I heard Dad rustling through the storage as he moved around busily at my description.
It took him a while, thanks to how much ‘Seo Inho’ had hoarded, but eventually, he seemed to find it and took a deep breath.
“Is this the one?”
I carefully ran my hands over the surface of the coat and nodded.
It was an S-rank armor made from owlbear fur.
Way too warm for today’s weather, but nothing could beat its defense.
“Next is a pair of black leather gloves. There should be a few pairs, but the one I want has buttons at the wrist studded with multiple diamonds.”
With no time to waste, I quickly continued my instructions.
Dad moved briskly as if he had an idea where it might be.
“Here.”
Soon, the gloves he handed me were exactly the ones I described.
As expected of Dad.
Smiling, I ran my fingers over the diamond buttons to confirm.
These gloves were made from blink dog leather, another S-rank item.
Not only did they offer excellent defense, but they could also block up to A-rank poisons.
Rare equipment you couldn’t even buy with money.
I gathered other high-defense items as well—hats, shoes, and more—and piled them into Dad’s arms.
He recoiled slightly in surprise, but I spoke firmly.
“Father, please put all of these on.”
“……”
I could easily picture Dad standing there speechless at my request.
But honestly, I was worried.
As impressive as this S-rank gear was, it couldn’t perfectly protect an unawakened person.
Even if the armor held against a B-rank monster’s attack, his internal organs wouldn’t be able to withstand the force.
His insides would rupture, and at the very least, his bones would shatter.
These items were simply a last line of defense to keep him from dying instantly.
“Quickly. The building won’t hold much longer.”
“W-what about you…?”
At my repeated urging, Dad stammered as he clutched my arm.
In his mind, I was still his blind, helpless son—he never imagined I could be S-rank.
“I’m S-rank, Father. I don’t need any of this.”
I grabbed the coat and hurried to get his arms into the sleeves.
We didn’t have time to waste arguing.
After hesitating briefly, Dad seemed to sense my urgency and finally began putting on the gear himself.
Once he finished with the hat, we finally rushed out the front door.
Chaos awaited us outside.
The moment we got out of the building, the screams from every direction left me dizzy—it was pure mayhem.
Due to the dungeon’s nature, there weren’t many monsters on the streets, but flying monsters swooped down from the sky, snatching people like prey.
The screams from a moment ago rose up into the air and abruptly stopped with a loud crunching sound.
It was impossible not to worry for Dad in such a situation.
Damn it.
I raised my hand above Dad’s head, forming a guard to shield him as I kept alert.
If a B-rank monster flew into the sky, I wouldn’t be able to chase it, which kept me on edge.
Screeech!
And just as I feared, something huge let out a strange shriek and came flying straight at us.
Walking quickly with Dad, I reflexively swung my leg.
Crash—!
The monster slammed into a wall and was embedded in it.
I prepared myself for another attack, but thankfully, it didn’t come.
Chirp.
Then I felt a small wriggling motion near my waist.
Ah, that’s right — I still had Chirpy with me.
He was so natural to have around that I’d forgotten.
But Chirpy just curled up tightly, not even considering facing a B-rank monster.
Useless at times like this…
“Hurry, Father.”
Clicking my tongue, I urged my frozen father to move.
We kept going, and after who knows how long, I started hearing car horns along with the screams.
It seemed we’d finally reached the main road near Cheongdam Station.
The blaring alarms from all directions made me furrow my brow.
“Kyaaa!”
“Move! Move, damn it!”
I heard people crashing into each other and falling to the ground.
If I hadn’t dodged at the last second, someone might have tripped me and died underfoot.
A chill ran down my spine as I swallowed dryly.
I have to stay sharp.
Though I worried about Dad, who was already struggling to catch his breath, I couldn’t afford to slow down.
Open areas like this were practically buffets for monsters.
“Father, which exit has the fewest people?”
Since the subway station served as the shelter, it was natural for people to crowd there.
I had expected this and was searching for an entrance we could get into quickly.
“Exit 14 is narrower… so maybe there…”
Without waiting any longer, we headed for Exit 14.
Hunters managing the scene were stationed there, guiding the panicked civilians.
“Don’t push! Move slowly, please!”
Judging from how things were unfolding, it was most likely hunters from the Chasung Guild.
They had probably come out to meet Cha Rui, who was currently clearing an S-rank dungeon nearby, and then rushed over in a hurry when a dungeon break suddenly occurred.
Since flying-type monsters were such a hassle to deal with individually, it seemed they had chosen to prioritize evacuating civilians first rather than engaging each one.
While lining up with Dad under the guidance of the hunters, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine and instinctively turned around.
“…It’s here.”
Thud—!
Screeeeech—!
The ground shook violently, and then a monstrous cry, completely different in scale from the ones before, rang out through the air.
People groaned in pain, some even collapsing to the ground and vomiting.
“T-the final boss…”
Someone behind me muttered in a dazed, despairing voice.
* * *
