abcnovels
Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Good clan leaders were trusted by their clan members. If their own members couldn’t trust them, it would result in the clan members arguing with each other. They wouldn’t last long. Hwang Gyeongryong made many mistakes and seemed a bit unreliable thirty years ago, but he was a good clan leader. His members believed in and followed him.
Roxanne was a fierce and short-tempered clan leader, but she still earned the trust of her subordinates. It was an outstanding ability.
“My older sister... Ah.”
“?”
“Hey. Pretend you didn’t hear what I just said. I’ll die if that gets leaked.”
“What? That you’re her younger brother?”
They didn’t look alike!
Seemingly aware of that as well, Carlton said, “I know we don’t look alike. If you go around and tell others, then I probably will actually die.”
“I understand. Stop worrying and just guide me.”
“Where do you want me to guide you? The casino?”
Carlton looked enthusiastic. They worked in Las Vegas, the pinnacle of extravagance, but the Black Cactus hunters couldn’t even go into the casinos. Roxanne had strictly forbidden it.
-Anyone who gets caught playing cards or roulette will have a card or the ball shoved down their throats.
But if he was guiding Choi Yeonseung, a visiting hunter, wouldn’t it be possible to have a bit of fun at the casino?
“No. Why would I go to a place that isn’t fun?”
“I-Isn’t fun? Watch your words. Casinos are the most fun and enjoyable place in the world.”
“I was talking about the training grounds.”
Carlton frowned. This person wanted to go to the most boring place in the world?
“What are you planning to do there?”
A clan’s training ground was highly secured. It contained their training techniques and information, which were considered their property! However, Choi Yeonseung was a hunter from the Icarus clan. He probably used state-of-the-art technology and curriculum in his training. There was no reason for him to watch.
“Outsiders aren’t allowed in many parts of it.”
“The public areas are fine.”
Choi Yeonseung had two reasons to visit the training center. One reason was to determine how the Black Cactus hunters fought. Taking a look at the training would allow him to get a sense of that. Other people could be surprised by it, but that was possible for Choi Yeonseung.
The second reason was...
It was his hobby.
‘I’m curious about the other clans’ training grounds. I have to take a look around.’
***
The 1st training center was where outsiders and reporters usually showed up. On a large screen hanging on the wall played videos of the dungeons that the Black Cactus hunters had cleared. Meanwhile, the holograms showcased their history and achievements.
“The Black Cactus’ main tactic seems to be widening the distance between them and the opponent and using long-ranged magic.”
“How did you know? Did you use martial arts?”
“... It is shown in the videos.”
“Ah.” Carlton nodded.
The clan had many long-range damage dealers like Roxanne. Their main strategy was to increase the distance somehow or bind the monsters’ feet before melting them down with blasts.
“You’ve got serious firepower.”
“Of course we do.”
Carlton looked proud. No hunter would dislike hearing compliments about their clan.
‘They’d be in danger if the attack was blocked or the enemies narrowed the distance,’ Choi Yeonseung thought.
He had gone through all sorts of hardships and fought countless battles in the Abyss. Hence, watching the videos was enough for him to immediately identify the Black Cactus clan’s weakness. They only had ranged combatants. If their attacks failed to kill the monster and allowed it to approach them, their formation would be broken. They’d then be forced to enter a melee battle...
At that moment, if the monsters showed unexpected patterns or skills, they’d immediately suffer casualties.
‘How should I advise them on this?’
It was useless to go to someone else’s clan and say, 'You only have long-range fighters. That’s dangerous.’
Such acts often garnered reactions along the lines of, ‘What do you know, you bastard?’
Advice should only be given to those who were ready to listen.
-A dungeon has been located! I repeat, a dungeon has been located! All clan members, assemble!
“!!!”
The sudden alert surprised Carlton. There really was a dungeon!
“Hey! we actually did find a dungeon?!”
“So you didn’t believe me?”
“... Honestly, I thought you just had some problems in your head due to your time in the Abyss...”
“......”
***
The clan hunters stared at the dungeon’s door in amazement. It was on a 5th underground floor, specifically in a management office under a parking lot. People didn’t pass by here, so it wasn’t easy to notice when the entrance to the dungeon opened.
The hunters would’ve never found it if they hadn’t been searching! It gave them goosebumps thinking about it.
“We’re very lucky.”
“The Icarus clan hunter was actually telling the truth…”
“Wow, how did you find this?”
“That isn’t the point right now. Look at the dungeon rating.”
The hunters gulped. According to the measurement, it was at least a B-grade or higher!
The Dungeon Analysis Agency official, who arrived in a hurry, nodded. “Based on its door’s size and amount of magic power, it’s likely B-grade or higher.”
“Wow....”
“It has been a while since something this amazing has appeared.”
They were both nervous and excited. Clearing it could earn them tens of millions of dollars!
“Can I enter as a D-grade?”
“Are you crazy? Do you want to die? If you don’t want the clan leader to criticize you, you better get out of here now.”
If a D-grade hunter entered it, they could get killed in one shot. Knowing this, the hunters stopped their colleague.
“Examine the dungeon first.”
“Got it.”
The moment the dungeon door was touched, a world message popped up.
[Would you like to enter the ‘Jungle of Endless Beasts’ dungeon?]
[Rewards: ???]
[Admission limit: 1 person.]
[Time remaining: 6 hours and 11 minutes.]
“......”
“......”
The hunters were shocked.
This...
‘It’s an impossible dungeon!’
Evil dungeons like the Jungle of Endless Beasts appeared every now and then. Their difficulty level always made it seem like they were unbeatable. The Jungle of Endless Beasts’ admission limit was only one person. Wasn’t this crazy? Moreover, it only had six hours left for it to be cleared. If left like this, the dungeon would explode.
“Clan leader! Big trouble!”
***
The Black Cactus clan was on alert. The dungeon was B-grade, and it only had six hours left. The moment it exploded, its surrounding area would be devastated. An evacuation order had to be issued immediately.
“We’ve got an emergency on our hands! Order the people to evacuate and close the hotels, casinos, and everything outside!”
“Empty all areas within a 10 km radius if possible!”
As the hunters and guards frantically rushed around, the city grew noisy.
‘I’ll be able to clear it if I go in, but I can’t do that.’
Black Cactus would never grant him permission. Though they had the rights to this dungeon, letting Choi Yeonseung enter it was like killing him. They wouldn’t do that unless they wanted to make an enemy out of the Icarus clan.
‘I hope people will calmly evacuate... Huh?’
Choi Yeonseung was flustered. The city was too...
Orderly.
What?
‘A dungeon is about to explode. Shouldn’t they be running away?’
The monsters in the dungeon would pop out the moment it cracked. They should be running away as far as possible. Had the trend changed after 30 years?
“Oh, John. Shall we watch from here?”
“I’d love to, Jane.”
“......”
Choi Yeonseung looked puzzled. There was a couple riding the open-roof car next to him.
“Hey. Didn’t you hear the order to evacuate?”
“Won’t the monsters be killed before they reach us anyway? Aren’t you too scared?”
“That’s right. It’ll be hard to watch if we’re further away.”
Choi Yeonseung was shocked. Did these crazy bastards stop their cars on the side of the road to watch the monsters coming out of the dungeon instead of running away?
‘Am I really on Earth?’
Choi Yeonseung faltered. It wasn’t just this couple. He saw several people stopping their cars, taking out their phones, and getting ready to film the monsters about to pop out in the distance! Some of them were even talking excitedly.
-Yo! Are you watching, friends? This is a real situation. A dungeon is really exploding! It will explode in a few hours!
As he wandered the Abyss and searched for Earth, Choi Yeonseung became determined.
I’ll return and save the planet.
However, seeing this made his resolve shake a bit. Should he save these people? Wouldn’t the average human intelligence rise a bit if he let these people die?
'Whoops. What am I thinking?’
[The ‘Cat of Lava and Magma’ is shouting to abandon these bastards!]
‘No.’
Choi Yeonseung regained his resolve. No matter how stupid they were, he couldn’t just let them die.
“Get lost.”
“This is a free country. You...”
Bang!
“Get lost.”
“Yes! We will be going!”
The moment Choi Yeonseung blew away the rebar with his hand, the couple started driving away, frightened.
"You ???s! If you don’t get out of here, I’ll kill you before the monsters! Aren’t you going to move? If there are any bastards who insist on filming, I will ?? until you ??!”
Choi Yeonseung could hear Roxanne’s voice in the distance. She was having a hard time too! Roxanne was brandishing a pistol and ordering an evacuation.
“... Does this always happen?”
“What are you talking about? Ah. The people watching over there? There are a lot of them. Monster hunting is exciting, after all.”
Carlton spoke as if he wasn’t surprised. 30 years later, the people had become too familiar with dungeons and monsters. They knew it was dangerous, but...
The hunters will kill everything in their path anyway. Why shouldn’t we take a closer look??
“I think the world has already perished...”
Carlton smiled when he heard Choi Yeonseung’s groan. “What’s wrong with this? It isn’t a big deal. There are many worse things.”
“......”
He didn’t even want to ask what the hell they were doing.
***
Vibrations had begun to course from underground to the road’s surface! The dungeon had exploded!
“Turn the screen! Launch the drones and identify the monsters! Don’t miss them!”
“The heat detection system is up! We’re looking into them!”
“Turn on all detection magic artifacts!”
‘Ohh...’
Choi Yeonseung felt his heart pounding as he watched cutting-edge technology being applied to a high-tech raid. This was the evolution of technology. Technology had advanced and magic had evolved so much in the past thirty years...
“We’ve detected five red venomous raptors coming out!”
“Spread out magic! Fuck, have you found the boss monster? Prioritize it!”
Finding the boss—the strongest dungeon monster—was a fixed rule.
Letting it slip by would be catastrophic.
-Kuoooooooooooh...
“?”
A bloody cry echoed from the distance. Soon, their surroundings started to change. A message window appeared in front of Choi Yeonseung, who could see the messages of the world.
[The lizardman magician has used the ‘Invasive Jungle’ artifact.]
[You can’t leave this ‘invasive jungle’ until you kill the lizardman magician.]
A monster that could create a pseudo-dungeon! Choi Yeonseung was stunned. It could be an artifact, but he never thought it would use this type of barrier magic. The other hunters belatedly grasped the situation.
-What? Why can’t the car go in?
-A barrier? Was it done by a monster?
The people who stayed to watch were even more shocked than the hunters. They had been trapped inside.
“E-Excuse me. I can’t get out...”
“These ???s! I told you to get lost, didn’t I?!”