* * *
“Oh my gosh.”
Ahn Eunseon made a dumbfounded expression.
“So, do they think they can control the kids?”
Instead of responding, Do Hajun wrapped a scarf around Lee Cheongmyeong and put gloves on him.
“Let’s go. All of you.”
The elders were not to be trusted.
They would rather wait for the moment the kids used their skills.
“Me too?”
Yoo Mia , who thought only Ahn Eunseon would go since she was close to Lee Cheongmyeong, asked again, surprised to be called as well.
“Yes. If things go south, you need to open a space and escape with the kids.”
Nodding, she followed behind Do Hajun.
The location was not far from the center, but the weather was too cold to walk.
Even though he had bundled up the kids tightly, Do Hajun opted to travel by car instead of walking, worried they might still be cold.
Watching him buckle the kids into their car seats one by one, Ahn Eunseon commented.
“But aren’t they wrapped up too much?”
“They’ll catch a cold.”
“No. They’re going to overheat and get sick.”
The children’s cheeks were flushed red. Wearing warm clothes inside a heated building made them feel hot.
“It’ll be cold outside.”
“But you said we’re going by car. Hana mentioned that over-bundling them isn’t good.”
Acknowledging the advice from a seasoned caregiver, Do Hajun gave up arguing.
Ahn Eunseon removed the scarf from Lee Cheongmyeong in the car seat and reached out to Aileen Spencer.
However, Aileen Spencer threw off her scarf first.
Clearly expressing she didn’t want to be touched, Ahn Eunseon awkwardly climbed into the passenger seat.
“Yoo Mia , you follow us directly to this address.”
“Yes.”
With no room for Yoo Mia due to the two car seats, she decided to drive her own car, and Do Hajun started the engine.
“When we get there, keep a close watch on Lee Cheongmyeong.”
“Yes.”
Lee Cheongmyeong would undoubtedly dash off in excitement upon entering the otherworldly kids’ café.
“And Aileen should stay calm, right?”
“We can’t be sure.”
Even the clingy Lee Cheongmyeong had dashed off before.
There was no guarantee Aileen Spencer wouldn’t do the same.
“But the elders are really clever.”
At Ahn Eunseon’s mumble, Do Hajun snorted.
Most elders became leaders not because of their grades but because of their academic or regional connections.
When Kang Wontae, who had neither connections nor money, became the center head, the center was in an uproar for a while.
Even Kang Wontae was surprised at becoming the center head.
“But team leader.”
“What?”
“Doesn’t that look strange?”
As the car stopped at a red light, Ahn Eunseon pointed at a building.
“The fire station? Why?”
“The end there.”
The tip of her finger pointed to the outer wall of the building, shimmering as if from heat.
“Damn.”
Stepping on the gas, Do Hajun pulled his phone from his pocket and tossed it to Ahn Eunseon.
“Make an emergency call. Say a dungeon is forming.”
“What? What?!”
Having only ever seen already-formed dungeons, Ahn Eunseon was flustered by the sight of a forming dungeon.
“Hurry!”
Skidding to a halt in front of the fire station, Do Hajun unbuckled his seatbelt and dashed inside.
“What brings you here—”
“I’m Do Hajun, team leader of the Seoul Center Delta Team. This place is about to become a dungeon.”
“What? Suddenly, that’s…”
Throwing his center ID to the bewildered firefighters, Do Hajun shouted.
“Can you make an internal announcement?!”
“Uh, yes!”
One firefighter pointed to a desk with a microphone.
Running to the desk, Do Hajun pressed the broadcast button and spoke.
“This is Do Hajun, team leader of the Seoul Center Delta Team. This fire station is currently undergoing dungeonification. Evacuate immediately. I repeat, this place is undergoing dungeonification. Stop what you’re doing and evacuate immediately.”
As the firefighters stared blankly at him, Do Hajun continued broadcasting for evacuation.
While firefighters poured out and boarded their trucks, Ahn Eunseon entered the fire station.
“I made the emergency call.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her phone alarm went off. It was a disaster text prohibiting access within a 100-meter radius of the fire station.
“You should take the kids and—”
Before he could finish telling her to evacuate, the entire building began to ripple.
“Shit.”
The dungeonification process was nearly complete.
Do Hajun bolted outside.
When a dungeon forms in a building, the affected area includes a 30-meter radius.
The parking lot where the kids were was within that radius.
To his relief, the car seemed fine as he ran across the rippling ground.
But then, in an instant, the car rippled and vanished.
“Lee Cheongmyeong! Aileen!”
And the car was gone.
With the dungeon’s completion, the car had disappeared.
“Ahh! The kids!”
Ahn Eunseon screamed as she followed him out.
The spatial and object displacement was a characteristic of a forming dungeon.
Suppressing his rising emotions, Do Hajun asked.
“What about the response?”
“They said it would take a while as there are no teams available.”
“Sigh.”
Do Hajun took a deep breath. Getting angry or frustrated wouldn’t help.
The only thing that mattered was quickly retrieving the kids, so he needed to calm his emotions and clear his head.
After several deep breaths, Do Hajun pulled a PDA from his pocket and pressed the dungeon scan button.
‘Instant dungeon. Please, let it not be water.’
If it was a boss-free instant dungeon, hiding in the car would be safer for the kids.
As long as it wasn’t a water dungeon.
[Dungeon scan complete.]
[B-grade instant dungeon / Water attribute]
“Damn.”
Instant dungeons formed in specific buildings or areas often reflected the characteristics of that place.
Expecting a high chance of a water dungeon due to the fire station, Do Hajun still cursed as it turned out to be true.
Feeling his anger rising again, Do Hajun took out his earphones and put them on.
“Ahn Eunseon, put on your earphones. And contact Yoo Mia to come here. Stay here.”
“What? You’re going in alone?”
“You won’t be any help.”
Healers had zero offensive capabilities.
There were rare healers like Kim Hana who could fight, but Ahn Eunseon was a textbook healer.
She was good at healing but had no offensive skills.
“But going in alone—”
“It’s fine.”
Do Hajun drew a sword from his inventory and strapped it to his waist.
“You stay here and monitor the situation outside. Since it’s a water dungeon, don’t let any water-related hunters come in.”
Unless they were SS-rank like Lee Cheongmyeong, water hunters couldn’t exert their strength in water dungeons.
In fact, they would only be a hindrance, so it was better for them not to enter.
“Yes.”
Ahn Eunseon, nodding with a worried expression, put on his earpiece, and Hajun strode towards the building.
As soon as the dungeon transformation was complete, the closed door emanated an eerie aura that sent chills down his spine.
It was the survival instinct signal his body felt every time he entered a dungeon.
Hajun took a deep breath and opened the door.
Fortunately, there was no water inside the door.
However, a large whale was floating in the air within the open doorway.
The whale was in a state of partial evolution into a monster, with human arms growing out of its fins.
Instead of advancing further, Hajun opened his inventory and took out a gun.
‘Since it’s a water attribute…’
As soon as the black-nailed gun aimed at the whale, the bullet fired.
But as the bullet spun and flew, it suddenly stopped and hovered in midair.
“Of course.”
In water attribute dungeons, even if there was no water, the space itself transformed as if it were underwater.
Thus, the bullet stopped as if it had encountered water resistance.
“How troublesome.”
Hajun put the gun back in his inventory and took out a spear.
With all his might, he threw the spear with a sharp tip towards the whale.
The spear flew silently and pierced the whale’s eyeball precisely.
Instead of a scream, the air trembled, and the whale fell to the floor and turned into black ash.
“Hajun. Whale monster on the first floor eliminated. Entering the second floor.”
-Roger. Yoo Mia and the Zeta team are arriving nearby. Currently searching for the gate.
“Roger. Ensure direct entry to the second floor upon passing the dungeon.”
-Roger.
Ending the communication with Ahn Eunseon, Hajun headed up the stairs to the second floor.
Unlike the first floor, which felt like being underwater, the entrance to the second floor had water up to Hajun’s calves.
“Damn. Rainbow fish.”
Before entering the second floor, Hajun frowned at the sight of rainbow-colored fish swimming leisurely in the corridor.
It seemed that the single monster on the first floor was a trap to lower his guard.
Rainbow fish were B-rank monsters.
Hajun opened his inventory and took out basic items every hunter carried—monster carcass chunks and small bombs.
With a splash, the carcasses and bombs fell into the water. Before they could sink, the rainbow fish began tearing at them with their sharp teeth.
Then Hajun clapped his hands.
The bombs hidden inside the carcasses swallowed by the rainbow fish exploded in succession at the sound of his clap.
Amidst the scattering carcass pieces, Hajun quickly moved forward, swinging his sword at the rainbow fish that hadn’t swallowed any bombs.
Black blood spurted, and flesh scattered.
Being toxic monsters, their blood sizzled and burned his clothes upon contact, but Hajun continued without stopping and opened the door to the first office.
“Kaaah!”
A monster with fish-like limbs lunged at him.
Hajun blocked it with his sword and quickly scanned the room.
‘No one.’
Realizing there were no children, Hajun swung his sword.
The monster was struck down, spraying black blood as it fell. Hajun kicked away the fallen monster and struck down the one that lunged at him again.
Despite the black blood burning his clothes, Hajun, undeterred, sliced down all the monsters and threw away his sword.
With a splash, the sword sank into the water.
Hajun drew another sword from his inventory and headed to the next office.
Opening the door, he was met with a crustacean monster with a colorful pattern resembling a lobster, spraying venom.
Quickly closing the door, the venom made it melt away.
Hajun stepped back, drew his gun from his inventory, and aimed.
-Team Leader, we can’t find the gate.
“What nonsense?”
-The gate hasn’t appeared within a 50m radius.
“Damn it. Then expand the search to 100m.”
-We’re already doing that.
Before Ahn Eunseon could finish speaking, the door completely melted away.
Swimming through the water, the crustacean monster lunged at Hajun.
Abandoning the sword, Hajun swiftly drew his gun and fired at the monster.
Bang! Bang!
-Kyaah! Team Leader, what’s happening!?
The monster bullets pierced the hard shell of the crustacean monster, turning them into black ash.
Despite the gunfire, more crustacean monsters poured out, forcing Hajun to pull out a grenade.
“Cover your ears!”
Biting off the safety pin, Hajun distanced himself from the approaching monsters and threw the grenade.
He quickly dived into the first office and closed the door.
At that moment, a loud explosion shook the entire building.
-Kyaaah!
Ahn Eunseon’s scream made Hajun frown slightly as he roughly pulled out the earpiece.
“If you’re going to scream, mute your mic.”
-Sorry, sorry.
Putting the earpiece back in, Hajun reloaded his gun and opened the door.
No living crustacean monsters remained, likely caught in the explosion.
Maintaining his vigilance, he opened the door to the third office but fortunately found no monsters in the remaining offices and changing rooms.
“Second floor clear. Entering the third floor.”
-What? Team Leader, at least get healed before you go!
“It’s fine.”
-Even if you’re not injured, you should at least get healed.
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, I’m hanging up.”
Touching his earpiece to end the transmission, Hajun headed for the stairs to the third floor.
* * *
