Chapter 38: Emergency Call

Ryu Taeyoung responded quickly to my report. He recognized me right away, and the second I said “kidnapping,” he panicked and said he’d hand the number off to the police department. But seriously—look at all the hunters sprawled unconscious around me. I didn’t need cops; I needed hunters.

And these bastards? Unregistered hunters. Which meant three to five years in prison, minimum.

"—Are you injured anywhere?"

'Plenty. But more importantly, if you’re awakened and you don’t register, that’s three to five years in prison, right?'

"—Wait, you’re badly injured? What the hell happened... Yes, that’s correct. Three to five years."

'And if you build an illegal guild, steal money, and use skills to harass people, that stacks on top of it, right?'

"—...That’s also correct."

'And if, on top of that, they’re illegally occupying a Gate? The sentence gets even heavier, doesn’t it?'

Ryu Taeyoung’s voice dropped, quiet and firm.

"—...Mr. Seo Jehyun. Stay where you are. I’m on my way."

I gave him the address I’d wrung out of Choi Jeonggil, and Ryu added that he’d contact nearby hunters as backup. With the shift change still a ways off, even if I passed out here, the assumption was someone else could extract me.

But instead of collapsing, I dragged my aching body upright. Truth be told, aside from my rage since last night, there was something else I wanted to check.

'A Gate nearby... Let’s take a look.'

It didn’t sit right. Another Gate in this area showing fluctuating waves, just like Sokcho?

"Jeonggil, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ stay put. If these bastards start moving, call me."

"Huh? Jehyun-nim?"

I shoved the borrowed phone into my pocket and ignored his panicked calls as I stepped outside. With the Stealth Orb in my mouth, I began searching the area.

'Where the hell is that Gate...'

I roamed the vicinity for any trace of people. Nothing. Supposedly it was “right next door,” but all I saw was empty ground, even after walking a good distance. Jeonggil had said just follow the road, but there were multiple roads. What kind of directions were those?

Meanwhile, my legs were shaking so badly running was out of the question.

'Still, can’t waste time.'

Forcing my feet forward, I pulled up status windows repeatedly until finally—someone’s popped.

Name: Kwak Minsu

Age: 30

Rank: F

Title: –

Main Skills: Small Water Jet (E), Sprinkler (F)

Growth Limit: D

Looked like an Infinite Guild goon. I quietly tailed him.

After a while, sure enough, he led me straight to where a group of guild members were gathered.

'Found it.'

So this was the Gate with the fluctuating waves. Surprisingly, only three stood guard out front. Did they really think nobody would try to snatch it?

'So altogether, only about ten guys assigned here?'

Yesterday there’d been around twenty. But I supposed they couldn’t all hang around here forever.

Judging from its size, the Gate had been open at least three days. Unlike Sokcho, you couldn’t see inside from the outside—but that wasn’t unusual. Most Gates didn’t let you peek in.

'Still... leave it like that, and it’s a Dungeon Break waiting to happen.'

No matter how little Na Seokgyung valued his subordinates, stationing one F-rank and two E-ranks at a Gate like this was pretty shameless. Not my problem, though.

The real question was—what kind of Gate was unstable enough to cause those shifting waves?

'Status Window.'

I read the description carefully.

'...Huh?'

Two impressions. First: so that’s why they said the waves were unstable. Second:

'Why the hell is this here?'

B-rank Gate (Reverse Space)

A vague space with no boundaries

Dungeon Boss: None

View ‘Additional Information’?

Seriously—why was this here?

A dungeon with no boss. A so-called “Quest-type Dungeon.”

Quest-type dungeons weren’t cleared by killing a boss. Instead, you had to complete all designated quests.

No boss, no dungeon break—seemed safe at a glance, but it was a deadly illusion. If the required number of participants wasn’t met within a time limit, the dungeon expanded, forcing in more people until the quota was filled.

And survival rates? Ironically, higher in boss dungeons. The quests in these places were trickier than you’d think—team wipes were the norm.

The shifting wave patterns the Infinite Guild noticed? That was just the nature of Quest-type dungeons. Each quest carried different risks, making the overall wave unstable.

So while this one was labeled B-rank, its danger could range anywhere from D-rank to A-rank.

Why so little info about them? Simple: rarity. For every five hundred normal dungeons, you might see one of these.

High risk, but also high reward. Always the same rule.

Meaning: as dangerous as they were, they were jackpot territory for me.

'I absolutely have to go in.'

Because in Quest-type dungeons, rewards interacted directly with the skills of the participants, with priority to those contributing the most to the clear. And of course—that interaction was positive.

I stared at the last line of the window.

'View ‘Additional Information’?'

'View it.'

B-rank Gate “Reverse Space”

Recommended Party Size: 6

Please fill the quota to reveal quests.

...Six?

From the moment I saw this Gate, I’d already decided on two people to bring.

And Ryu Taeyoung was not one of them. If the Special Response Team entered this dungeon, it’d ruin everything. Hunters throwing away massive profits just to live off government salaries? That kind of saintly conviction was rare.

'But right now, I don’t need them.'

Dungeons aren’t cleared with ideals. Which meant I had to keep the Special Response Team out of this at all costs.

Two slots were already reserved. That left three.

The Response Team wouldn’t rush in immediately; they’d spend time analyzing it first. At worst, I had a full day.

In other words...

'Why not just fill the slots myself first?'

And wouldn’t you know it—by sheer coincidence, right in front of me... were three people.

***

That same morning, Ryu Taeyoung was already drained from the bizarre emergency call.

On his commute, he’d received a call from someone he hadn’t expected, with content he hadn’t expected.

'Seo Jehyun.'

It had been over a month since they first met, but the impression was unforgettable. Jehyun’s bizarre behavior aside, his face alone was hard to forget.

'But now he’s saying he was kidnapped...'

Honestly, Seo Jehyun didn’t look like an easy target. But crime doesn’t pick and choose. And according to the Center’s records, Jehyun’s rank was only F. He might handle an ordinary person, maybe even an E-rank, but anything above that would overwhelm him.

Taeyoung felt a twinge of guilt for having suspected Jehyun so harshly back then. Still, he told himself it had been reasonable. Who wouldn’t doubt someone wielding skills so calmly?

'Never imagined an F-rank skill could deflect a Kraken’s leg.'

Now that he knew the truth, coincidence was the only plausible explanation.

As soon as the call cut, he’d immediately relayed the address to nearby hunters, while he himself sped there by car.

'An hour and a half to arrive. Please, let nothing happen until then...'

If they could take down an illegal guild and secure a nearby Gate in one move, all the better. But only if the informant’s safety came first. Staring at the crawling traffic, he forced down his nerves.

How long had he been driving? Just as his anxiety peaked, his phone rang.

'Seo Jehyun?'

He answered reflexively—and heard the same voice that had just reported the illegal guild.