Chapter 55 : Damn Raid 4

The next morning, the hunters participating in the raid had completed their preparations and were being guided by an association official to enter the upstream area of Andong Dam.

After driving for a while on an unpaved road, they arrived at a temporary checkpoint guarded by some soldiers and agents.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, although it hasn't been officially named yet, as you were informed earlier, we are calling it a 'Mutation Dungeon' for now."

"The dungeon's erosion level is gradually increasing. The danger rank is currently A-level, but if left unchecked, the Hunter Association believes that it could grow into an S-level or even higher."

"So far, we've had S-level dungeons, but no SS-level dungeons, right?"

"If something like that happens, wouldn't it mean the end of humanity?"

"We have SS-level Hunter Yeonseo, so what's there to worry about? And we aren't complete amateurs either."

As soon as the hunters got out of the vehicle, they began checking their support drones and registering their biometrics with the transport drones.

While the other hunters were busy, Shia activated her smartwatch and made a call.

"Bingu-ya~"

[Unnie?]

"Yeah, it's early in the morning, I woke you up, sorry."

[No, it's okay. It was about time for my morning exercise anyway.]

Originally, Yeonhwa was supposed to join this raid dungeon as well.

However, upon hearing that remnants of the Goblin guerrilla force had appeared in Chuncheon, Yeonhwa had urgently headed down to the region.

It was a shame that Yeonhwa couldn't come along, but there would be other chances.

[Unnie, will you be alright?]

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Honestly, I'm even looking forward to it."

[With your skills, Unnie, I think you'll be okay. But raid dungeons are much nastier and scarier than regular ones, so be careful.]

Although Yeonhwa had not yet participated in a raid dungeon herself, it was common knowledge, taught as essential education in the Hunter Academy, that raid dungeons were notorious for their brutality.

As soon as a dungeon is called a "raid," its difficulty goes up—A-level dungeons become AAA-level.

In the case of an S-level raid dungeon, it's considered the most difficult dungeon humanity can currently handle.

Of course, when an S-level raid dungeon appears, all S-level hunters in the country are immediately summoned, and if deemed necessary, hunters or mercenaries from other countries join in to tackle the raid.

The most recent S-level raid dungeon had been the Goblin Empire ruled by the Emperor Goblin.

"Thanks for worrying about me. Is there anything you need? Should I bring you a wyvern egg?"

[…You gave me one last time, and I still haven't finished it.]

Shia tilted her head, puzzled at the response.

"…Wouldn't you finish that in a day… or a meal?"

[That's only possible for you, Unnie…]

If wyvern eggs weren't an option, she'd have to bring something else.

Something simpler, perhaps a dessert…

It would be great if she could find something like that in this dungeon.

"Hey. We're about to start."

"Oh, really? Bingu, I need to go."

[Take care. Don't get hurt.]

"Yeah, you too, stay safe."

After ending the heartwarming call, Shia turned off her smartwatch and launched the auxiliary AI drone for broadcasting, which she had received from the Returnee Management Bureau.

By now, she had gotten the hang of how to use it.

"Was that a family member? You seemed pretty close."

"Yeah, something like that."

If Shia had mentioned the name "Yeonhwa" instead of "Bingu," the hunters might have viewed her differently, but today she used the name "Bingu" throughout the entire phone conversation.

"What about weapons?"

"I don't need any."

"..."

If it really came down to it, she could summon them, so it wasn't a problem.

However, from the hunters' perspective, it didn't look good.

'Just how confident is she to enter the dungeon without any weapons…'

'Going into a raid dungeon without a weapon? She's not even Yeonseo…'

'Please don't be a burden, please…'

'I hope I can find some dessert to give to Bingu…'

With various thoughts in mind, the hunters, including Shia, finished preparing for the raid.

"At this moment, March 10th, 4:47 AM, 19 A-level hunters and the temporary hunter, Shia, a total of 20, are beginning the strategy for the Mutation Raid Dungeon."

Zap!

With the announcement from the suited agent, the hunters immediately moved to their designated positions.

The space began to crack like a shattered window, and soon, without any sound or light, the hunters' bodies vanished in an instant.

○○○○

Jinseong repeatedly cursed that he was screwed.

Not just screwed—he was completely and utterly screwed.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…!"

The spear Jinseong swung ripped apart the last monster in front of him.

At his feet lay the torn bodies of about ten monsters.

But Jinseong wasn't relieved at all.

In fact, his mental state was becoming increasingly strained.

"Huff, huff… this is a fucking nightmare… What kind of dungeon is this…"

An hour ago, when Jinseong first entered the dungeon, he realized that the hunters who had been right beside him were nowhere to be found, leaving him alone in what seemed like a quiet rural area.

Jinseong had fallen into a Copy Dungeon.

A Copy Dungeon is a dungeon that mimics the real world, replicating everything from the terrain to structures exactly, except for living organisms.

At least, the environment wasn't too bad.

It wasn't a sweltering desert where breathing was difficult.

Nor was it a freezing snowy field where his life would be at risk from the cold.

This place was a replica of Andong, specifically the upstream area of the Nakdong River and Andong Dam, so there was no immediate danger from the climate or terrain.

However, the problem was that all his companions had scattered.

The female friend he had been holding hands with just a moment ago, as well as the veteran A-level hunters he had cleared dungeons with several times, were all gone.

This dungeon had scattered every living being inside to random locations.

It was likely that all the hunters, including Shia, the temporary hunter, had been sent somewhere far away as well.

"Ha… it's a relief that we each received a transport drone…"

Since Copy Dungeons mimic the real world, their areas are vast.

It might even be larger than the entire city of Andong, or possibly, it could have copied all of Gyeongsangbuk-do province.

Jinseong inspected the supplies delivered by his transport drone.

There didn't seem to be any spoilage, and apart from being alone, the situation was manageable.

Jinseong had already spotted Andong Dam while on the move.

'Sigh, but I can't get any signals from the drone, so I can't communicate with anyone…'

Still, all the hunters here were experienced A-levels.

'If it's a Copy Dungeon… there should be the Moonlit Pavilion of Yeongwol where we stayed.'

The most unsettling thing was "Shia," but if anyone survived, they would likely gather at the Moonlit Pavilion of Yeongwol.

In the Hunter regulations, when dealing with dungeons that randomly teleport hunters, it's advised to gather at the most conspicuous landmark or structure.

Starting a fire to signal your location is also possible, but it could attract monsters, so unless the situation is under control, it's best to avoid lighting a fire.

Up to this point, Jinseong thought the situation wasn't too bad.

That was, until he encountered the creatures inhabiting this place.

Snap!

[Screeeech!!]

"Shit!!!"

The monsters here were horrifying.

Jinseong trembled in fear as he crushed the head of a monster that had come running at him like it wanted to be hugged.

The rank of the monsters was low.

At best, they were C-rank, maybe B-rank on a good day.

Even if 20 of them came at him, Jinseong could handle them alone.

As a hunter, Jinseong had faced countless humanoid monsters, so that wasn't the issue.

But these creatures were far too grotesque.

No, grotesque didn't even begin to describe them—they were horrifying.

The creatures were humanoid, but they didn't resemble humans in the slightest.

Their arms and legs stretched to absurd lengths, up to three meters or more, defying the laws of physics, and of course, they were naked, making the sight of their bizarre, elongated limbs as they staggered around deeply unsettling.

Some of them resembled giraffes or the Japanese yokai Rokurokubi, their necks elongated while grinning like oversized fetuses searching for prey.

At one point, Jinseong had leaned against what he thought was a normal tree to rest.

But the moment he leaned in, something moved, and when he looked up, he realized that what he had thought was a thin tree was actually the shriveled limbs of those monsters.

There were even pitch-black shadowy figures with no definite form at all.

Since entering the dungeon, Jinseong had encountered countless variations of these grotesque humanoid creatures, none of which looked alike.

'I've never seen monsters this messed up before, damn it…'

Of course, he could beat them.

They moved sluggishly, like zombies, so they were easy to deal with.

They might be strong, but not so strong that an A-rank hunter like Jinseong couldn't handle them.

However, their very existence seemed to gnaw at his fragile human psyche, and every time he saw one of their horrifyingly smiling faces, Jinseong felt his skin crawl.

Even after cutting off their heads in a fit of rage, those smiling faces remained unchanged.

"Hah, hah… shit…"

Are the other hunters all in the same situation?

If so, this is really bad…

Tap.

"…!"

Suddenly, sensing something nearby, Jinseong held his breath and gripped his spear tighter.

This presence was different from anything he had felt before.

It was so overwhelmingly strong that a creeping unease began to take over.

The asphalt road running through the forest was blanketed in darkness, limiting his visibility.

This Copy Dungeon set the scene at night, drastically reducing visibility.

Unless you had exceptional sensory skills, it was impossible to thoroughly detect your surroundings.

But Jinseong was an A-rank hunter.

While he didn't have extraordinary detection abilities, he had experience.

He could clearly feel the presence of something approaching him, and he hid behind a large tree.

If it passes by without noticing, fine.

But if it senses him and gives chase, he'd have no choice but to kill it here.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

It stopped.

The sound, like shoes walking on asphalt, came to a halt.

And it stopped right in front of the tree Jinseong was hiding behind.

'Is it coming? Fine. Come at me. If you do, I'll kill you right here…'

With his vision severely restricted, Jinseong infused his spear with mana, preparing to kill whatever appeared in a single blow.

Come on. Come here. I'm an A-rank hunter. Even if a bunch of these freaks shows up, I can handle them.

Come on. Come at me. Are you scared…

Jinseong, who had been suppressing his fear, suddenly felt the presence behind the tree move.

Thudthudthudthudthud!

"...!!?"

The presence, which had been standing still, suddenly rushed toward him, and in a panic, Jinseong thrust his spear through the tree.

Clang!

But the spear was blocked by something.

As the tree fell from the impact of Jinseong's spear, he finally saw the owner of the presence.

A pitch-black figure, wrapped in a fog of darkness, resembling a human form.

But that thing blocked my attack?

Weren't all the monsters here just C or B-rank!?

"What the hell…"

"Jinseong! It's me!!!"

"What?"

Jinseong was startled by the voice that came from the black fog figure.

It was the voice of Yuhwa, his girlfriend and an A-rank hunter who had joined him in this Mutation Raid Dungeon.

"Calm down, Jinseong! This is a hallucination dungeon. You and I both look like monsters to each other!!"

"…What?!"

Right… In a Mutation Dungeon, something like this might be possible…

No, don't let your guard down.

Jinseong gritted his teeth, glaring at the black fog figure that had grabbed his spear.

"Name."

"Yuhwa! Choi Yuhwa!"

"When did we first meet?"

"…Uh, I don't remember…"

"It's you."

"What? Jinseong, you're using that to confirm my identity!?"

Though it was a bit sad that his girlfriend couldn't remember the day they first met, Jinseong acknowledged that the black fog figure was Yuhwa.

If she had answered exactly when they first met without a single mistake, Jinseong would have stabbed his spear into her without hesitation.

As Jinseong lowered his guard, the black fog figure, who was actually Yuhwa, let out a small sigh of relief.

"…The dungeon makes us see each other as monsters? Then, could it be that all the things I've killed so far…"

"No, those were real monsters."

"Then how did you know it was me?"

"Because no dumb-looking monster would carry a spear or hide behind a tree trembling."

"…I wasn't trembling."

"Don't lie. The tip of your spear was shaking like someone with hypothermia."

In Yuhwa's eyes, Jinseong's spear had looked like a grotesquely shriveled human bone.

"How do I look?"

"Jinseong? Hmm… well, you're naked."

"…What?"

"You're missing what should be there, and your mouth, hands, and legs are all stretched out really long."

Jinseong recalled the grotesquely skinny humanoids he had seen so far.

To think that he looked like them.

He wasn't a handsome guy, but still…

"This is a hallucination-type dungeon. Normally, we'd put on identification marks or signals to prepare for something like this. Didn't you know?"

"…I forgot."

"Turn on your identification mark now. It's lucky it was me. If it had been anyone else, you might've gotten into a knife fight."

Jinseong wasn't the type of hunter who strategized and cleared dungeons using his head.

That was Yuhwa's role, and because they complemented each other well, they had been able to work together for so long.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

"What's that sound?"

"…!"

At that moment, Jinseong and Yuhwa turned their heads toward a grotesque noise coming from the darkness.

"Get down, Jinseong…!"

"Wh… what? Wait…!"

Before Jinseong could respond, Yuhwa grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the edge of a cliff.

They didn't jump off since they couldn't see what was below, but the two barely hung onto the edge with their hands.

"What's going on…!"

"Shh!!!"

Yuhwa silenced Jinseong and slowly pointed toward the darkness.

Sensing that something was seriously wrong, Jinseong carefully lifted his head to peer into the distance.

Thud.

Thud.

Crack.

Thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud.

"…!!!"

"…Stay quiet. It doesn't know we're here yet…!"

It was a tentacle.

A grotesque tentacle that seemed to be made of human flesh, its ravenous teeth clacking hungrily, was devouring every one of the grotesque humanoid creatures nearby.

Crunch!

Crack!

Snap!

[Screeeeeech!]

The humanoid creatures tried to flee from the tentacle, but they were slow, like zombies, and their legs and spines were crushed or they were smashed into minced meat by the tentacle, becoming its meal.

And at the center of the tentacles was a figure in the shape of a human.

It was white and black.

The figure, humanoid in shape, looked as if it had been charred by ashes, with holes drilled all over its body, a form beyond words to describe.

From its waist extended five tentacles, which replaced its limbs, and it moved by crawling along the ground, walls, or trees, devouring every grotesque humanoid in sight.

From the moment Jinseong saw it, he forgot how to breathe, paralyzed by fear.

What is that?

What the hell is that?

Could it be another hunter, like Yuhwa, covered in an illusion?

No, those tentacles had a physical form.

Those tentacles were physically catching, ripping apart, and killing monsters.

Could a person really sprout such terrifying, grotesque tentacles from their body?

And even if it were a hunter, would they really 'eat' the monsters raw like that?

No way.

This wasn't another separated comrade, nor was it a hallucination.

This thing was a real entity within the dungeon!

"…That looks like the dungeon boss…"

"...…"

At Yuhwa's whispered words, Jinseong nodded.

And he instinctively knew.

There was no way the two of them could defeat that thing.