[Breaking News: The Gate Erosion from Hapjeong Station to Hongdae’s Commercial District]
ㄴRecommended: 2423
“No way, this isn’t a joke.
It’s an emergency right now.
First, the sky starts turning red out of nowhere, and then the dungeon alarm goes off.
Damn it!
I just stepped out to grab some fresh air while meeting up with acquaintances for the S-grade promotion festival after being cooped up at home, and now the alarm goes off the moment I enter the downtown area!
I’m not kidding, returnees, stay away from here!”
[????]
[Is this real?]
[It’s real! News alerts are popping up everywhere!]
[A disaster alert message just came in.]
[That’s an area where dungeon erosion has never happened, what’s going on???]
ㄴ[Who knew, right?]
ㄴ[Honestly, it sounds really scary.]
[Hey, get to the basement or shelter quickly. You might just run into weak mobs or get rescued by hunters if you’re lucky!]
But that was too optimistic.
If monsters like D-class goblins or orcs show up, that’s one thing, but if C-class or higher monsters appear, there could be many casualties.
[Hey, returnees, stay at home! There’s been erosion in the middle of Seoul!]
[Is this for real?]
[Holy sh*t;]
[When was the last time there was erosion like this??]
[Isn’t it just an over-break??]
[No, definitely not. If it were an over-break, other dungeons would also be in chaos, but this alarm is only because of the dungeon erosion that suddenly appeared at Hapjeong Station.]
[Could it be the Great Rift?]
[If it really is the Great Rift, this would be the Third Great Rift.]
[Does the Great Rift look like a joke?]
[Hey, look, pictures just dropped in the group.]
[BREAKING NEWS 2) Pictures from inside the eroding dungeon are out]
ㄴRecommended: 5284
“Do you have any clue what’s weird from the pictures?
To the naked eye, other than the red sky, it looks just like Hapjeong Station, but check the size of the people sheltering beside it.
That dining hall building that’s only three stories tall looks like it’s magically blown up to a 20-story high-rise.
It seems this is a copy dungeon type that mimics reality, but it looks like the area and size are exaggeratedly replicated.
And since it’s an erosion dungeon, while entry from the outside is possible, no one can leave until the boss mob is defeated or the dungeon core is destroyed.”
[Isn’t it a synthesis?]
ㄴ[This is not the time to be talking about syntheses, you idiot! This is serious!]
ㄴ[The fact that the dungeon copied buildings and inanimate objects so large is insane.]
[Has there ever been a dungeon like this?]
[There are often copy dungeons that mimic reality, but I’ve never seen a dungeon that makes a three-story building look like a 20-story building.]
“To all returnees near Hapjeong, run immediately. If you’re ridiculously unlucky and caught, stay in the shelter while waiting for the hunters to save you. The hunters are currently distributing an emergency notice.”
ㄴ[The hunters sent the notice]
[Notice (Emergency) Dungeon erosion in the area from Hapjeong Station to Hongdae commercial district. Danger level undetermined, erosion level undetermined.]
Recommended: 3424
“The Hunter Association has sent out emergency announcements to every internet community site.
Starting around 11:30 AM, erosion began in the heart of Seoul.
The erosion area currently encompasses the entirety of the commercial district, including Hapjeong Station, Hongdae Entrance Station, and parts of Sinchon Station, with the radius estimated to be about 2km, and it’s still expanding.
Everyone, check in with your family to ensure they are okay.
If you can’t reach any family or acquaintances, immediately notify the Hunter Association civilian rescue office.
Given the current situation, anyone causing panic or talking nonsense will be dealt with swiftly, so tread carefully.
Returnees caught in the erosion should head to the shelter before the hunters arrive.
No one dies, understood?”
[The part about “no one dies” feels so… heartbreaking…]
ㄴ[Did you not know? The guy who runs this had a friend die during the Second Great Rift and became pretty famous after taking over this job.]
ㄴ[Wait, seriously?]
ㄴ[I had no idea…]
Under normal circumstances, the Netrunners and malicious types known for messing around in the Hunter Gallery would’ve been causing chaos, but at this very moment, everyone went silent.
Given the gravity of the situation, there was no time to fool around.
Dungeon erosion wasn’t just some other country’s problem. It was a national crisis where friends, family, and everyone you knew could face a serious threat right here, right now.
There was still no estimate on the danger level or the scale of erosion. If by good fortune the risk was below B-class, perhaps they could end this mess with minimal casualties, or maybe even no casualties at all.
But if it was confirmed to be A-class or higher, it wouldn’t just be a casual affair.
Being at the city center, taking in countless people, who could even guess how big the disaster could become?
On weekdays, most hunters are out doing their rounds like regular workers. Even when resting, they’re often at home or in their guild, maintaining equipment or training to improve their skills.
Having civilians enjoy a festival in downtown means it would take time for hunters to be urgently dispatched.
And if their dispatch is delayed, a great catastrophe could occur.
If there was a skilled hunter who by luck was in positions near Hapjeong Station beforehand, that would help, but the chances of a competent hunter being in place as the erosion began at Hapjeong Station were slim…
[Heyyyyyyyyy! Gallery Master!!!]
[Gallery Master is here!]
[??]
[What do you mean?]
[No, seriously, what does it matter with the broadcast when things are going crazy from the erosion?]
[No, it’s not that! The Gallery Master is actually in the eroding dungeon right now!]
[Whoa, I’m seeing it! The Gallery Master is actually here!!!!!]
[What? What’s happening?]
[Is this real?]
[Is the Gallery Master really there?]
[(Rough sketch of the Gallery Master waving under the red sky)]
[The Gallery Master is in the eroding dungeon!!!!!]
ㄴ[????]
[Are you serious????]
ㄴ[What’s happening??]
[Sh*t, seeing the Gallery Master in person is so comforting. It’s kind of reassuring too.]
ㄴ[Is she not wearing underwear?]
ㄴ[How would I know? She didn’t strip in front of me or anything]
ㄴ[Stop talking about that right now, it’s not even important! LOL]
ㄴ[But seriously, her chest is HUGE. She looks even bigger than she did on the stream.]
And then, a picture shared by a returnee generated a tremendous ripple.
The photo showed Hunter Isia casting a huge white barrier to protect people from the erosion happening in the dungeon.
Some malicious Netrunners felt that people were overhyping Shia and called it a flop.
They thought it was all just about her large chest and face catching attention. Many believed she simply put on an act, too!
But none of that mattered at this moment.
If Isia had the real ability that she demonstrated on the stream, she could be the one to save everyone.
“Returnees are at the Hongdae Entrance Station shelter right now. There are tons of people and it’s chaotic. The outside is locked off, and we can’t go anywhere, but the Gallery Master cast a barrier at the shelter.”
ㄴ[Whoa, Nice!]
ㄴ[Is that barrier solid?]
ㄴ[Considering the ability shown on the stream, it should at least be a temporary measure!]
“Hey, we also have a newly promoted S-grade Hunter Yeonhwa here!”
[??]
[For real?]
[Nobody is gonna die!]
[Since it’s an eroding dungeon, no one can leave until the boss mob is defeated, but with the Gallery Master and Hunter Yeonhwa here, we should be safe.]
ㄴ[This is sounding a bit too risky.]*
ㄴ[LOL, you’re right!]
[But it feels a bit reassuring now.]
Many people chose the basement of high-rise buildings or subway stations as their primary shelter.
Since the occurrence of Great Rifts, various areas had prepared shelters just in case unexpected dungeon eruptions occurred. In densely populated regions like Seoul, the subway was considered the optimal refuge.
In 2088, the subway shelters had a high capacity for people and were equipped to endure even a nuclear explosion on the surface.
“Everyone, head this way!”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you so much, Yeonhwa unnie!”
“You’ll be safe here for now.”
With her voice infused with magic, Yeonhwa loudly directed people to the shelter.
Shia also communicated telepathically with everyone using her Seongnyeok, guiding them towards safety. Thanks to that, everyone who heard Shia’s voice could safely make their way to the subway shelter.
Moreover, to prevent any sudden ambush from monsters targeting civilians, Yeonhwa created an ice barrier to initially block the path leading to the shelter, followed by Shia using a miracle to create a white barrier.
“The Sinchon Station area is secure now, and Hongdae Entrance has fewer people, so that was quicker than expected.”
“…Phew. It wouldn’t have taken this long if it weren’t for you, unnie.”
At least all visible individuals were directed to the subway shelter where safety was secured.
“Technically, this should’ve been the duty of the safety personnel dispatched by the Hunter Association, but it seems there’s a state of emergency up above.”
“For an emergency, they’re moving pretty slowly.”
“It’s due to safety indifference. Honestly, there’s never been a case of erosion occurring suddenly in downtown Seoul, so people are getting caught off guard.”
Fortunately, civilians in 2088 had received considerable education regarding dungeons, so directing them to the shelter wasn’t a problem.
The issue was that while entry from the outside is possible, it was impossible to leave the erosion dungeon.
Similar to the Black Minotaur dungeon where Yeonhwa first met Shia and roasted him.
The fortunate part was that even after an hour of erosion, monsters had yet to make their appearance.
‘The real problem might be that there are way too many hostages this time.’
Thousands… No, maybe tens of thousands.
Everyone visible must have made it to the subway shelter, and with Yeonhwa’s ice wall and Shia’s barrier, they were temporarily safe, but in an unknown dungeon, no one could tell what might happen.
[Ah, can you hear me!?]
[This is a safety personnel dispatched by the association. I repeat, safety personnel here! All hunters receiving the communication, please gather at Exit 2 of Hapjeong Station.]
[If you can see any civilians, guide them to the safe zones at Hapjeong Station, Sinchon Station, and Hongdae Entrance Station!]
[C-grade and below hunters, please head to the shelters!]
“Finally, the trainees have arrived.”
Through the drone, Shia and Yeonhwa realized that the Association’s safety personnel had finally been dispatched.
“Oh, and that’s not for broadcasts, but the AI drone for Hunter support, right?”
Since Shia had never before utilized the Hunter support feature of her drone outside of broadcasting, she looked at her drone with interest.
“Let’s head out, unnie.”
“Sure.”
While Shia and Yeonhwa had ensured safety at Hongdae Entrance Station, their arrival at Hapjeong Station revealed that things weren’t so promising.
“Please, take your time! C-grade and lower hunters, guide the civilians to the shelter!”
“B-grade hunters, equip yourselves now!”
Safety personnel and support staff sent out in a rush were busy distributing equipment, essential supplies, and emergency food to the panicking civilians.
“You can’t come here! Go to the shelter now….”
“I’m S-grade Hunter Yeonhwa.”
“Ah…!?”
The trainees directing civilians to the shelter looked utterly brightened as if they met a savior.
“As an S-grade hunter, I demand a situation report. What’s the risk level of the dungeon and the erosion, and what about the monsters? What’s the environment like?”
“Wait, give me a moment! I apologize, Hunter Yeonhwa! We haven’t even finished setting up the equipment yet. So sorry.”
“Hurry up. The evacuations towards Sinchon Station and Hongdae Entrance have been handled by me and Shia over here.”
“Oh, you mean the returnee? I got it!”
Although Yeonhwa was a well-known figure after just recently being promoted to S-class, the safety personnel seemed to have heard of Shia as well, allowing the two to effortlessly enter the temporary camp.
“Hello~ Are you all busy?”
“Yup, very much so! As you can see…”
Amid the chaos, the safety personnel began pouring information onto Yeonhwa and Shia.
“So far what we understand is that the erosion area is the Marpo District of Seoul, following the underground line of the subway at Hapjeong Station, Hongdae Entrance Station, and parts of Sinchon Station. Moreover, some parts of Hongik University are currently eroding into the dungeon.”
“That’s quite a large scale.”
“Currently, the dungeon has been confirmed as a copy dungeon.”
If it was a copy dungeon, Shia had experienced one before.
The mutation raid dungeon where she feasted on Walker soup back in Andong was also a copy dungeon.
Of course, since the fragment of the Demon King had been buried in that dungeon, it covered a broad range and featured monsters not originally present on Earth, like the Walkers.
“However, the usual copy dungeons replicate reality 1:1, but…”
“What’s the issue?”
“Look over there.”
The safety personnel pointed to a massive building.
The sky was red, but what was peculiar?
“That building was originally two stories.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not all buildings and objects follow this, but this specific copy dungeon has exaggeratedly enlarged certain structures in terms of height and size while replicating them. A building that should have been only two stories tall is now resembling a 20-30 story skyscraper.”
“Are there any anomalies within that?”
“I can’t be sure either. The dungeon core may have been devoured by the boss, so for now, we need to find the boss first, sis.”
“What about the monsters?”
“Well… there haven’t been any confirmed monsters yet.”
It was strange not having any monsters confirmed.
Copy dungeons were typically known for having high danger ratings, erosion levels, with high mana concentration, thus being intuitively classified as B-class or higher.
That’s why the Association hurriedly dispatched safety personnel and instructed C-class hunters to treat civilians, ordering them to stay at the shelter.
If you become dead weight, you only end up dead, as when tons of humans perish inside a dungeon, the danger level increases with more mutations.
But now, having yet to see any monsters in a dungeon like this could drive the safety personnel and upper hierarchy insane.
A suitable dungeon difficulty needed to be rated to request proper support, but it was out of the question to deploy any S-grade hunters.
Most S-grade hunters are elsewhere, fighting for humanity’s fate, and Yeonseo was currently unable to provide any assistance abroad.
And getting A-grade hunters into formation would take a significant amount of time.
Having S-grade Hunter Yeonhwa and the returnee Shia, who possessed entirely different powers, present in the field was a stroke of luck from the Association and a blessing for the civilians.
“Phew, Isia the Returnee and Yeonhwa Hunter, your cooperation is greatly needed. Right now, you are the only trusted figures we have…”
“Excuse me, just a moment.”
“Yes?”
At that moment, Shia briefly cast her glance over the stream of civilians moving towards the shelter.
“Isia Hunter?”
Then Shia leaned slightly.
As her skirt swayed, revealing her fair thighs, suddenly her leg muscles popped up, showcasing their definition.
“Unnie?”
Bam!
She directly broke from the ground and shot forth like a bullet towards someone amongst the civilians.
And…
“…..!”
Crack!
She smashed the head of one of the people trying to enter the shelter with her fist.
“Kyaah, kyaaaah!!!”
“Whaaat!?!”
“What the hell are you doing!?!”
People nearby were splattered with blood and screamed, as the safety personnel shockingly drew their guns at Shia.
Is the Returned Hero going insane out of nowhere? Wait, hold on…
Black blood?
“This…”
Shia lifted the crushed head with her tentacle.
“…It’s not a human.”
It wasn’t a human.
I mean, it had the form of a human, but was bleeding black blood, and it didn’t have any of the organs it should have.
“Is this… a doppleganger?”
“Damn it.”
“Huh? Is this really a doppleganger?”
Unlike the excited Shia, who found the crushed doppleganger intriguing, the safety personnel and Yeonhwa were going pale instantly.
“Emergency! Emergency!!! Dungeon Determination!! Dungeon Determination!!!”
“It’s a doppleganger dungeon!!”
“Danger Level: Special S-class! Confirmed as a doppleganger dungeon!”
