Nineteen A-grade Hunters decided to set up a base camp based on Yeongwoljung.
But there was a problem.
Isia, who had come with them, was still missing.
If Han Jinseong and Choi Yooha, who joined last, hadn’t witnessed the dungeon boss, they would have made the base camp based on Yeongwoljung and slowly examined the types of monsters that contained these mutated beings while illuminating the map of this darkness dungeon, waiting for the other Hunters to arrive.
But now, Isia was missing, and the identity of the dungeon boss was somewhat revealed.
“First of all, there was cannibalism. I’m not sure if that should be called cannibalism, but it ate the same monsters… that is, the mutated humans.”
“If it’s cannibalism, does that mean it’s at least a living being that can reproduce?”
“I can’t be sure. There are monsters that indiscriminately eat without being able to digest.”
“Shit, it’s already S-grade or higher, and just thinking about it makes my head spin…”
For reasons unknown, Yeongwoljung was receiving power. Even though it had been some time since the Hunters stationed here, the mutated humans seemed to dislike the light and didn’t approach Yeongwoljung.
The problem was that the darkness of this dungeon couldn’t illuminate anything beyond three meters, no matter how strong the light was. The inside of Yeongwoljung was bright, but outside the building, it was still pitch black.
Yooha and Jinseong had their eyes hurt from the sudden brightness when they walked into the three meters around Yeongwoljung after walking in the darkness for so long.
“The visibility is so poor that it would be difficult to bring Isia here with light.”
“I don’t know how much power is left, but it’s better not to think that there’s unlimited power for comfort.”
Reluctantly, the Hunters decided to conserve the power of Yeongwoljung. It was unfortunate that they couldn’t rescue Isia, but if the boss monster was tentatively S-grade or higher, going outside Yeongwoljung for the sake of saving one person would be the worst of all options.
“Shit, this is messed up…”
“Sigh, even if reinforcements come, if it’s not someone like Yeonseo, it’ll really be tough…”
Basically, in this raid dungeon, proper coordination among the Hunters was impossible due to the darkness.
It was problematic that their sight was blocked, but they had no idea how many of those mutated humans there were.
Now, the Hunters couldn’t assess how deep the darkness of the dungeon was. They also couldn’t be sure whether all the mutated humans were between C-grade and B-grade monsters.
If the dungeon boss had S-grade difficulty or higher, there were certainly mutated humans among them that posed a threat at A-grade or even higher.
This dungeon was a primal darkness that stimulated human instincts.
It was terrifyingly vicious.
“Um, um…”
“Yeah?”
Just then, a Hunter with a fox face raised their hand, drawing the attention of the other Hunters.
“What if we take the initiative against the dungeon boss?”
Silence fell among the Hunters at those words.
After about ten seconds passed, a Hunter shouted in a flustered voice.
“Hey, are you crazy? That’s absolutely impossible with our skills!”
“No, why would we provoke the boss when Yeongwoljung is safe?”
“Do you really think that way?”
“What?”
The fox-faced Hunter smirked at the Hunters as if mocking them.
“Sure, the mutated humans might fear the light, but I doubt an S-grade dungeon boss would be scared of just this light.”
“…”
That was a valid point.
If the raid boss potentially had S-grade or higher difficulty, it wouldn’t be prevented from approaching Yeongwoljung just because of light.
The dungeon boss, which had been writhing with terrible tentacles, likely hadn’t shown any interest in the Hunters of Yeongwoljung because it was busy devouring other mutated humans scattered around.
“And think about it, if that thing comes to Yeongwoljung after gorging itself on other prey, we’ll be at a disadvantage. The longer it takes to fight that thing after it’s full and strong, the higher the chances of us losing.”
“That is true…”
“Anyway, this dungeon is a gate dungeon. We need to defeat the dungeon boss to leave. And Isia is currently missing, right? She might be dead, but to find the missing person, in the end, we must defeat the dungeon boss, right? Otherwise, we can’t even think of searching for the missing!”
“…Hmm.”
“Shit, what ‘hmm’ are you talking about? S-grade? It seriously might be an S-grade raid boss! How are nineteen A-grade Hunters supposed to defeat it? Is an S-grade just some sort of abstract concept? If it’s truly an S-grade raid boss, one of its kind would wipe us out like bugs!”
“What if it’s possible?”
“What?”
“What if there’s a chance we can defeat the dungeon boss?”
“Hey, don’t say that carelessly. Have you gained confidence from defeating a few A-grade dungeon bosses? This one’s on a different level!”
The fox-faced Hunter seemed to squirm in anger at that statement.
It had been seen multiple times, but even knowing it was an illusion, that grotesque figure was uncomfortable.
“Let’s just listen to what they’re saying for now. This one doesn’t seem like one to ramble.”
With the intervention of another Hunter, the tense atmosphere barely calmed down.
In a situation where a potential casualty named ‘Isia’ had already occurred, it was understandable that the Hunters were becoming sensitive about risking their lives again.
“Do you know that there’s Imha Dam under Yeongwoljung?”
“Shit, why the hell am I doing this?”
“What can we do? This is the only method…”
Imha Dam, which belonged upstream of Andong Dam, was a multi-purpose barrage with a total reservoir capacity of about 600 million cubic meters.
Yeongwoljung was a hotel built right above this Imha Dam.
The suggestion made by the fox-faced Hunter was both simple and a significant gamble.
[Imha Dam under Yeongwoljung? But? What of it?]
[If we lure the dungeon boss to Yeongwoljung and cause the hotel to collapse, it will fall right into Imha Dam below. The space below is completely empty except for the support posts.]
[Hey, you think a dungeon boss would just fall that easily? And even if we make it fall, do you really think it’d die just from a drop? Should we pray that it dies from heart failure after falling into cold water?!]
[Don’t say that!]
Jinseong still had the terrifying figure of the fox-faced Hunter stuck in his mind.
That fox face always smiled, and despite knowing it was an illusion, it gave an unsettling feeling about its consistent grin.
[If the boss monster falls under Imha Dam…]
The fox face kept smiling.
That face, distorted by pulling and stretching the bones and muscles of a human, looked like a fox, and just thinking about it caused nausea.
[Then we activate Imha Dam.]
[What?]
[If the timing is right, around 80 million tons of water will pour over the dungeon boss as the gates open. And where are we pouring the water? On the dam’s hydroelectric turbine.]
[Hmm…]
[If we’re lucky, we can rip the dungeon boss apart without lifting a finger.]
The proposal from the fox-faced Hunter was indeed appealing.
If it succeeded, not only would they defeat the dungeon boss but also, defeating the boss would mean the annihilation of this dungeon and the only possibility of finding the missing Isia.
So much so that even Yooha, who was usually the most prudent, agreed, while Jinseong declined with apprehension, sensing that other Hunters seemed to realize hiding here wouldn’t yield answers and agreed with the fox-faced proposal.
Jinseong, too, volunteered to act as bait to lure the boss.
After all, the role he could assume was limited.
He would be able to make a cool-headed command by being in charge like Yooha, an detection-type Hunter.
“Hey, are you scared, being bait? Are you chickening out?”
“Scared? Shit, please. Do you think I’m still that Han Jinseong from academy days?”
“Look at how you’re acting all cool just because you came here with your girlfriend.”
Somehow, it was all really bizarrely funny, yet if they survived here, it would be a great story possibly told over drinks.
“It’s not acting cool; of course… Hey, it’s coming.”
While chatting with fellow Hunters, Jinseong readied his spear at the entrance of Yeongwoljung.
Clank, clunk!
Clack!
“Shit, it messed up. How come it shows up the moment we step out?”
“Is that sound… the boss’s sound?”
“Yeah. If it shows up, don’t look back and just run. If it catches you, you’re dead.”
He could hear the sound of teeth clashing from afar.
Feeling the tension, Jinseong lowered his body to move at any moment, ready to spring into action.
“If I get caught, just run without hesitation. The opposite goes for me as well.”
“Shit, the air is already prickly…”
The two Hunters, gradually backing away, rushed back into Yeongwoljung as they sensed something writhing in the darkness.
Bang!!!
They had expected the firmly closed door to buy them at least five seconds, but the tentacle ripped it off and started entering.
The human-shaped entity they had seen before was nowhere to be seen.
The massively grown tentacles were still clicking their teeth as if they were starved.
“AHHHHH? It’s freaking HUGE!”
“It feels even bigger than before!?”
“Hey, you said it was only 3 to 5 meters!!”
“I don’t know! Maybe it gained weight while feeding!”
Thankfully, the two Hunters were specialized in speed, allowing them to easily outpace the tentacle.
They ran, and ran, and ran again.
Since it was a dungeon where communication couldn’t get through, they couldn’t relay real-time messages.
Thus, the two Hunters in the bait role would buy as much time as possible to draw the dungeon boss, and as soon as they heard the sound of the dungeon boss breaking down Yeongwoljung, it would signal the other Hunters to collapse the foundation and activate the dam.
[Let’s go together~]
“….!!!!”
“Hey! Was that just said?!”
[Let’s go together!]
Shit.
This was seriously bad.
The raid dungeon boss… presumed to be at least S-grade? It could speak with intelligence?!
Hunters knew all too well the horrors of monsters with intellect. The Academy, the national manual, the Hunter Association’s proclamations all confirmed that.
Every Hunter realized that the repercussion of an intelligent beast could obliterate the human world, and upon hearing the voice of the beast, Jinseong felt goosebumps rising all over his body.
It must be killed here!
Before more victims emerge, they had to ensure it was killed here!
The two desperately dodged and lured the tentacles, racing through the insides of Yeongwoljung.
BANG!
As the enormous body forced its way into the narrow corridor, Yeongwoljung’s halls were wrecked in an instant.
But, because of that, the boss’s movements were restricted, and it became much easier to lure it.
“This way!”
Just as it seemed the preparations were ready, the fox-faced Hunter popped out from the corridor of Yeongwoljung.
Clank!
Clack! Clack!
[Wait, wait, please wait!]
“AGH!? It got faster!!”
“RUN!!!”
“EEK!?”
As a new face appeared, the tentacle began its frantic teeth clashing, as if excited by the appearance of fresh prey.
With the lure team barely slipping past the fox Hunter, the corridor they had been in was completely obliterated.
“Shit… If we had been swept away, it would’ve been over…”
Not only was the sight of the grotesque beast horrifying, but the sheer mass and raw power of the tentacle were something Jinseong could hardly believe.
THUD! THUD!
“Is this the right place?!”
“Yes, it’s right!”
The heavy steel shutter that descended after pressing the emergency button bought them only a little time, but they wouldn’t last a couple of seconds against that tentacle.
But that was good enough.
BOOM!
[Let’s go together!]
Shit!!
Hearing the chilling voice, like a woman’s scream, Jinseong immediately hurled himself forward.
At that moment, the tentacle ruptured the metal shutter and burst into the lobby of Yeongwoljung. The ground below where the tentacle stood began to crack.
[!?]
Seeing its initial signs of being flustered, Jinseong and the Hunters felt they were onto something with their plan.
“NOW! Everyone shoot!!!”
The tentacle, of course, was at minimum an S-grade dungeon boss.
Despite the A-grade Hunters attacking, they couldn’t deal any fatal damage.
But what about the crumbling hotel lobby? The ground? The pillars?
The Hunters’ attacks merely hindered its movement.
Meteoring bullets made from Griden ores wrecked the ground beneath the tentacle, while Awakened Ones fired their flames and lightning, and Jinseong prepared to lob his expensive spear as a throwaway weapon.
All the Hunters put forth everything they had in order to throw the monster down.
THUD!
The barrage lasted less than five seconds.
But for the Hunters risking their lives, the seconds felt eternal.
Exactly five seconds later, the entire lobby of Yeongwoljung collapsed.
[…Ah..!]
It weighed enough to be immediately pulled down by gravity, falling toward Imha Dam below Yeongwoljung.
The below supports had been cut beforehand by the Hunters.
It had no supports to grab onto, and thus the dungeon boss dived down into the icy cold waters.
And below it, the gates that had already been opened began to unleash torrents of water, while the colossal propellers spun like chainsaws.
THUD! CRUNCH!
The sound of flesh tearing filled the air, and the Hunters closed their eyes as if they had seen something grotesque.
“…We succeeded… right?”
“Hah, hah….”
Jinseong seemed unable to control his shaking legs and promptly dropped to the ground.
“Jinseong!!”
“…Yooha.”
We did it, shit.
If Jinseong had wandered just a bit off the route Yooha led, he would surely have been crushed by that tentacle.
“…Oh, the original form is showing?”
“It seems the dungeon boss died and the illusion has worn off.”
Only then did the Hunters start to regain their original appearances.
Both Yooha and Jinseong, as well as the Hunters who had appeared as toothy humans.
The illusions on all the Hunters were lifted, and they began to return to normal human form.
“……Sigh, I thought I was really dead.”
“Jinseong, remember what I said? You’ll totally end up covered in confetti once we get out.”
“I mean, can’t you see how damn hard that was? Can I at least get some rest?”
“Uh, no.”
Despite the look of being troubled, Jinseong surprisingly wore a joyful expression while hugging Yooha.
Yeah, shit.
After almost dying and being alive again, “adorning myself” is only natural…
“How fortunate.”
At that moment, Jinseong felt goosebumps creeping over every inch of his body.
All the illusions imposed on the Hunters had been stripped away.
As the tentacle monster fell into the dam and got shredded by the propellers, all the illusions disguising the mutated humans faded away.
“How fortunate.”
But why…
Why did that fox-faced Hunter remain unchanged?
Realizing the strange phenomenon, Jinseong threw Yooha away from him.
“KYAH!? Jinseong, what are you…!”
Thud!
“…Huh?”
Gurk, shit…
At that moment, Jinseong spewed blood from something that pierced through his abdomen like a snake.
“Jin, Jinseong!!”
“Hey! Grab your weapons! It’s not over yet!!!”
Due to this sudden turn of events, the Hunters were horrified and grabbed their weapons, but the fox face was grinning mockingly at them without the slightest sign of feeling threatened.
“Shit, what the hell is that?! Wasn’t that Hunter one of us!?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?!”
[Really, really fortunate.]
From the fox-faced Hunter’s waist, something that looked like a serpent’s tail split into nine.
The shadow under its feet darkened even more under the glow of Yeongwoljung, writhing with life.
The grotesque fox face was now grinning widely in a ripping manner.
“….!”
“That, that…”
“The dungeon boss… must have been that…?”
“Shit, we’re so dead…”
This dungeon was originally a common dungeon characterized by devouring.
Though said to have devouring characteristics, this dungeon just consumed roots or the earth’s nutrients to grow.
Had this dungeon appeared in a city or an ordinary land devoid of any legends or tales, it would’ve merely been a regular C-grade dungeon.
But this dungeon, whether by misfortune or fortune, ended up swallowing something awful.
Swallowing that which had been forgotten by humanity and left out of all the historical texts, the dungeon became one with it.
A forgotten unnamed creature, which was denied the rite to see sunlight, crawled the earth in misery, devoured by this dungeon.
So they consumed each other, and thus they became one.
A thing bearing pitch-black darkness appeared.
Malice and cunning were akin to the fox that could not become human.
Infused with malice for not being allowed to ascend to the heavens, it bore endless hatred for everything in this world, similar to the Imugi.
It possessed darkness, malice, and cunning, becoming the very dungeon imbued with resentment.
[You have no idea how grateful I am that you have killed the most bothersome one for me.]
“…………….What?”
[Do you know what you just crushed?]
“Wait, no way…”
At that moment, the Hunters hoped that what they feared wouldn’t be true.
No, it can’t be…
[It was the missing person you were searching for. Was it Isia? What a nauseating thing showing itself in normal human skin.]
“….!”
“…..What the hell…”
“We… killed Isia…?”
Ignoring the Hunters who were horrified and in shock, the entity finally revealed its true form.
A fox face wide with a grin that looked like it was splitting.
The shadow below its feet writhed as if alive.
Instead of a fox tail, it had nine Imugi tails attached.
Jinseong yanked the Imugi’s tail that had pierced through his abdomen and stepped back.
“J-Jinseong…”
“I’m… fine. Huh, ugh…”
Though his words said he was fine, with an injury this severe, survival seemed almost impossible. He was bleeding profusely, and if he took his hand away, his insides might fall out.
This is such shit…
The intelligence of monsters is horrendous.
The monsters’ intellect and reason surpass the noblest of human malice, with a foulness incomprehensible to man.
The grotesque entity with the fox face smirked at the Humans, who had once regarded it as a mere Hunter but now found it monstrous.
That very grin reminded of the first encounter they had.
[Once again, I say thank you. I could kill the most irritating one easily thanks to you Humans.]
“Shit, what a mess…”
Gulp…
The Hunters felt it deep within their gut.
Not a single thought that they might be able to take it down together crossed their mind.
Even if everyone here jumped at once, it didn’t seem they could defeat the thing.
If that fox-faced dungeon boss had cast an illusion, and dispelled it now, it could surely slaughter every single one of them alone…
[By the way, you guys were wondering why you haven’t heard from me… Humans sent reinforcements?]
“…!”
[Don’t worry. I’ll swallow not just you but soon other ones too.]
The Hunters clenched their teeth as they envisioned the bleak future ahead of them.
An intelligent S-grade raid dungeon boss.
A malevolent creature that spun darkness and illusions.
If the Association sent any reinforcements to this dungeon… that monster would pretend to be the only survivor.
And just like it had done to them, it would ascertain the strength of the Hunters one by one and then eat them all when the moment came.
The number of Hunters consumed would only make it stronger.
Currently a gate dungeon they couldn’t escape from, the day the monster managed to spring free would be nearer and nearer as time went on.
Leading an army of mutated humans to invade reality was no longer far-fetched.
[Once again, I must thank you. Do not be too afraid. The pain is only temporary. Everyone will continue to live within me…!]
Gurgle!
[Cut!?]
At that moment, a familiar scarlet tentacle pierced its abdomen and slammed it against the wall.
“WHAT!?”
“Isn’t that the tentacle from earlier…?”
But it seemed the illusions had faded, yet why did it still look like it was a tangle of tentacles…?
No, that’s not the issue… Could it be Isia’s ability was the tentacle itself?
Boooorrooo…
“Huh!?”
As the stunned Hunters scrambled to comprehend the unfolding situation, the swollen face of Shia, who looked puffy and disheveled, slowly climbed up.
Her body was soaked through, yet she didn’t look harmed in the slightest.
[You, you… how…!]
“What?”
[How did you survive…?]
She clearly saw herself get shredded by that colossal propeller.
With the cooperation of those foolish Hunters, she was surely shoved down to the bottom!
But why did she reappear so fine?!
Even though she was torn apart by the propeller, what on earth…!
“Even if you ask how…”
Shia raised her hand as if contemplating, scratching her head.
But her arm twisted in an abnormal angle, suggesting something was off with her.
In fact, Shia’s body had been ripped apart by the dam’s giant propeller.
As she was battered by thousands of tons of water pressure, she was shoved and rearranged, but ultimately she had managed to rise again from the bottom of the dam.
Crunch!
[!?]
“HEE!?”
“My, my arm…”
Shia’s arm, which had been twisted grotesquely, reverted to its original form in an instant.
Even with bones and muscles tearing through skin, not a single drop of blood spilled from her body.
Is she human…?
Is she even a human?
No, it can’t be. She’s a monster.
“I won’t die.”
The dungeon believed itself to be a monster.
I am evil.
I am a monster.
I am that which is not allowed to see the sun, a nameless being and the one who crawls across the earth.
I am the Imugi who cannot become human, who is denied love.
Thus, I am evil; I am a monster.
It thought so naturally.
But in front of the pure stares given to it, it felt fear.
It’s supposed to instill fear—but why is it feeling fear itself?
Ah, how my value as a being is denied by this.
Having lived as a monster, now confronting something even more monstrous, I realize I am just prey.
“Iheeheehee, then I’ll enjoy this~”
[………This monster…!]
“…I’ve heard that before.”
CATCH!
No more words were needed.
Someone’s mouth opened.
Something was bitten into, ripped, and swallowed.
And thus, the life of whatever had been a monster came to an end.
*
No, it’s not over yet.
It’s not over.
I am a monster.
I am a monster, darkness, a snake, and a fox.
Though my death was painful and horrific, there’s still a chance for me.
I can still survive.
I may have to linger in despair and crawl in the dark a little longer… but I still have the opportunity!
Yes, I will swallow the mutated people, the much weaker humans than those so-called Hunters.
Then I can live!
I can be whole again.
Even if I’m a broken shard right now, the possibility of revival is still…!
[Crack?]
What is that?
A centipede?
What the hell is it doing in my dungeon, on my land…?
CRACK!
Oh no.
CRACK!
No. Don’t eat it.
Please don’t.
You can’t!
Don’t eat me.
If you consume me, I won’t be me anymore.
No, please save me.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop!
Don’t…!
[Keek, ack, erk…!]
Please don’t…
[….Tastes… good….!]
