Chapter 56
Hong Euiyoon jerked his chin. Hwashim was looking at the dungeon portal. The man who always arrived at the last minute had come early today.
"He's been standing there like that for a while. Acting all relaxed."
Did that look relaxed? To Yoon Seo, he seemed more like someone who had reached enlightenment in the face of death. What did it feel like to arrive on time, knowing you were walking into a place where you'd surely die…?
"Even Hwashim came an hour early today, but you, who are nothing special, are showing up this late? Don't get cocky just because people are paying attention to you."
"I doubt I'm the last one. Kwon Jihan isn't here yet either."
"Hyung, were you looking for me the moment you arrived?"
A playful voice came from behind, making Yoon Seo flinch. It was extremely rare for him to be caught off guard like this.
Before he could even turn around, Kwon Jihan popped out with a 'peekaboo.' The man with jet-black hair and gray eyes smiled, his eyes crinkling.
"Did you miss me that much? Looking for me the moment you got here."
"You just arrived, didn't you?"
"I've been here for a while. No matter what, I wouldn't be late right before an S-rank Yellow Dungeon raid. I'm actually a really diligent person."
"Don't lie."
"It's true. Hey, redhead. Tell him."
The redhead who was suddenly called out flinched.
"Y-yeah, it's true. Hunter Kwon Jihan arrived 3—30 minutes ago."
"Did he threaten you?"
"Fuck, no matter how strong he is, I wouldn't lie just because of a threat…!"
Hong Euiyoon shouted. His determination was so intense that even Yoon Seo felt slightly overwhelmed. Was this really something to declare so passionately…?
"That's right. Euiyoon hyung always tells the truth. Jihan hyung got here early."
"Hunter Kwon Jihan arrived 30 minutes ago and tormented Rio nonstop. Poor Rio is crying in his girlfriend's arms right now."
Soo Jaehee and Alec approached to chime in, while Kwon Jihan smugly puffed out his chest.
"Oh, Yoon Seo. But you actually arrived early today, since it's an S-rank dungeon raid. That's surprising, considering that in The Guild of Leaves, you always showed up exactly on time for meetings."
Park Soobin approached with unnecessary commentary. The Team 2 leader, who had been talking with him, was also there. The 24 A-rank hunters from Team 2, looking tense, each stated their arrival times.
In the end, Yoon Seo became the center of attention and made a firm decision. From now on, he would always arrive 30 minutes early.
***
[You have entered the Dungeon. Number of Hunters: 33 | Time Until Explosion: 499 Hours]
[It has been determined that no additional participants will enter the dungeon.]
[The dungeon portal is closing.]
[The God of Life welcomes you.]
[The God of Death is rushing over upon hearing of your entry.]
[Due to the intense heat of the lava, the skill
[Skill
[Skill
[Shield durability is dropping rapidly!]
As soon as they entered the dungeon, a flood of notifications appeared. The air was so thick with toxic gas that visibility was almost nonexistent, prompting the Team 2 leader to use a skill to stir up the wind and clear their view.
"Wow… This is insane."
"If we didn't have shields, we'd all be dead in one hit."
Alec let out a light whistle.
Just as they had heard in the briefing, the portal led to the sky, and below them, crimson lava slithered like a massive serpent. In the distance, thunder crashed violently, and the atmosphere was thick with yellow clouds of toxic gas.
More than anything, the intensity of the lava's heat was overwhelming. Among the three-layered shields, one of Team 2's hunters had their shield shattered the moment they entered, and the durability of the remaining two was rapidly decreasing. Since the shields weren't at full durability, the heat was seeping inside. Even Hong Euiyoon, who had fire resistance, was wiping away sweat, while Hwashim, who had the lowest rank among them, seemed to be struggling just to breathe, clutching his chest and bending forward.
['Lee Jinbi' has activated the
[The lava's heat weakens slightly.]
['Seol Mina' has activated the
Two protection-type hunters quickly used their skills to reinforce the shields.
'If we didn't have predictions and analysis, at least half of us would have died upon entry.'
It reminded Yoon Seo of when they had entered the Great Dungeon. The first day, when dozens of hunters, who had come with determined wills, funded by national treasuries from all over the world, had fallen helplessly into the lava the moment they stepped in.
Yoon Seo reinforced the shield with a hardened expression.
[The
Hwashim's expression eased a little.
"I didn't expect the heat to be this intense. I don't think we should split into groups."
"For now, let's move a bit higher and talk."
The hunters ascended further into the air. Yoon Seo silently followed them. They had already been instructed to prepare for falls, so they had entered the dungeon while flying. Some hunters used items, while others relied on skills.
Kwon Jihan had black wings sprouting from his back thanks to
Yoon Seo was riding Seokyoung's flying item, the 'Red Balloon.' It was a three-seater, meaning the overly affectionate couple was with him. They were clinging to each other as if they were one body, giggling among themselves.
"You can still feel the heat at this altitude. If we go any higher, we'll hit the dungeon's barrier, so we'll have to talk here."
Park Soobin wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.
"For now, I don't think we should divide into groups. What does everyone think?"
"I agree. Splitting up the protection-type hunters would be too risky in this situation."
"Alright. If anyone needs healing skills, speak up immediately. Those using flight skills, keep checking your mana levels. We have plenty of potions."
"Hyejin, what's the distance to the nearest monster?"
"It's circling 4.14 km away. Looks like it's a flying type."
"Keep a close eye on it. Where should we place the Guild Stone? The entire ground is lava. If we return to the Guild Stone's location, we'll just burn to death."
The ones leading the conversation were primarily the Team 2 leader and Park Soobin. However, when the topic of the Guild Stone came up, all eyes focused on them.
They scanned the surroundings, trying to find a place to set the Guild Stone, but all they could see was a sea of lava.
Seokyoung had already experienced losing three guild members in an S-rank Yellow Dungeon earlier that year. Everyone who entered had accepted the possibility of death, but they still needed a place to set up the Guild Stone. The Guild Stone was an extra life, after all.
The team leader furrowed his brows and turned to the protection-type hunters.
"What if we set the Guild Stone above the lava and create a shield just big enough for one person?"
"It's possible, but the duration would be short. The lava would constantly wear down the durability, so with my skill, it'd last at most three hours…."
"With mine, at most five hours."
"That's a big problem."
"I think I can help with that."
A savior appeared before the A-rank hunters lost in thought.
Wearing the item 'Hermes' Shoes,' an S-rank hunter who originally belonged to an American guild, Alec Switch, flew over with a light flutter. A red gleam flickered in Alec's eyes.
['Alec Switch' has activated the
Kuuung.
With a deep, thunderous sound, something massive seemed to move, and a patch of land about 3.3 square meters in size appeared near them.
[
Despite its grand name, the floating landmass was rather small, but it was still land. Fresh green grass grew on it, and white wildflowers had bloomed.
"Wow, Hunter Alec's creation skill… It's amazing no matter how many times I see it."
"He didn't call it creation. He called it 'creativity.'"
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"It's different. Very different."
Clicking his tongue, Alec retrieved a mana potion from the guild subspace and drank it.
"Hunter Kwon Jihan, please place the Guild Stone."
"Hm."
With an indifferent expression, Kwon Jihan flew over and landed on the tiny floating island. He glanced around as if assessing the surroundings and muttered,
"This won't work."
"What?"
"The heat reaches here too. Look, the leaves are already burning."
Alec quickly approached, startled. Just as Kwon Jihan said, the tips of the grass blades had already turned black. Alec's expression turned grim.
"Damn. At this rate, the land will disappear."
Since his skill
"I'll cast the strongest defensive skill I have, but with the cooldown, it'll take a full day before I can use it again."
"Use a cooldown reset item. There are five in the subspace."
"Yes."
Team 2's protection-type hunters cast every shield skill they had. By using cooldown reset items stored in the guild subspace, they managed to stack enough skills to extend the duration to 61 hours. However, it was still far from enough. Considering the expected dungeon clear time, they needed at least 350 hours.
"Everyone, move aside."
The one who spoke was Hong Euiyoon.
['Hong Euiyoon' has activated the
Two rings of fire wrapped around the small patch of land and its shield. At first glance, it looked like it would burn the ground, but in reality, it granted fire resistance.
"The shield's duration increased, but… it's still only 120 hours."
"Damn it…."
"Nine minutes have already passed. We have to place it now."
There might be a safer location further in the dungeon, but Guild Stones could only be placed within the first ten minutes of entry. With barely a minute left, Kwon Jihan had no choice but to place the Guild Stone on the precarious land.
[Guild Stone Installation: -100,000,000]
[Current Guild Experience: 10,029,199,000]
A message confirming the placement of the Guild Stone appeared, and a silver stone tower formed on the land.