GM Ch63

Shortly after their brief conversation ended, Kwak Jonghoon appeared. He got straight to the point.

“What happened? What’s going on?”

There was a lot to discuss.

***

“After the explosion, the dungeon closed. The rest is as everyone knows.”

Soohyuk recounted everything that had happened at the end of the Poison Jar Dungeon to the S-rank hunters.

The National Security Agency didn’t want the details to be made public and had asked the hunters involved in the Poison Jar Dungeon raid to keep it confidential. However, they didn’t oppose Soohyuk sharing the information with the other S-rank hunters.

They had initially concealed the involvement of foreign hunters to avoid immediate responsibility. But the National Security Agency knew that it was the hunters who would have to face the newly emerged monsters directly.

The S-rank hunters grew serious as they listened to Soohyuk’s explanation.

“The key point seems to be that no information about the monster appeared. Maybe it’s from another world beyond the torn space?”

“The skeletal knight on horseback might explode when attacked, like a bomb spider.”

As seasoned monster hunters, the S-rank hunters immediately began discussing the skeleton’s characteristics and strategies to defeat it. They speculated that the skeleton’s information was invisible because it had come from another dimension, making it impossible to display in this world’s status window. Soohyuk didn’t disagree with this theory.

“The Ace Guild leader was too hasty. Attacking an unknown monster head-on? Even a rookie wouldn’t make that mistake.”

During a brief pause, Kwak Jonghoon harshly criticized Joo Myunghwan. Approaching an unknown monster cautiously was a basic principle of dungeon raids.

Other hunters also chimed in, but Soohyuk remained silent. He didn’t warn them not to interfere because he planned to deal with Joo Myunghwan himself.

The S-rank hunters, who focused on dungeon raids, had little interaction with Joo Myunghwan, who was involved in the defense shield business. However, being in high positions meant they could cross paths in various ways. With so few hunters, everyone was acquainted in some way.

Of course, Soohyuk had no intention of staying quiet even if one of the S-rank hunters defended Joo Myunghwan. Minjun had been seriously injured because of his mistake. Thinking of Minjun, Soohyuk’s expression hardened. If he had been hurt any worse, Joo Myunghwan wouldn’t have gotten away unscathed.

Hunters getting injured in dungeon raids was all too common. Many died without even having a chance to fight back. Accidents caused by a party member’s recklessness were also frequent.

Soohyuk could overlook unintentional accidents. As long as he didn’t have to work with them again, it was fine. But he couldn’t let Joo Myunghwan off the hook.

After the explosion, Joo Myunghwan, who was the first to regain consciousness, blamed everything on the intruder. He showed no remorse. Instead, he demanded compensation from the National Security Agency, claiming it was their fault for not preventing the intruder. It was an incredibly shameless act. Soohyuk didn’t demand an apology from Joo Myunghwan. Instead, he decided to take action.

Taking down the Ace Guild wouldn’t be difficult with a bit of effort. Especially since it was a publicly traded company, it would be even easier. While Soohyuk was lost in thought, the topic shifted again. This time, it was about the dungeon closing.

In a typical dungeon, once the boss was defeated and the dungeon was cleared, the gate would completely disappear, indicating the dungeon had closed. Clearing and closing were not distinguished separately in these cases.

However, in the case of repeating dungeons, even after clearing the dungeon, the crack remained. Over time, the crack would become a gate again, and the dungeon would reappear. Closing a repeating dungeon required meeting some unknown conditions.

The S-rank hunters all speculated that the dungeon had closed due to the skeleton’s explosion. Seo Wooju suggested that they take this opportunity to figure out how to close repeating dungeons, and everyone agreed.

If they could artificially close the troublesome repeating dungeons, it would be very convenient. Considering various possibilities and reducing risks was a basic skill for hunters living in the era of the cataclysm. The six guilds agreed to conduct joint experiments regarding dungeon closing.

“A hunter explosion finally happened in Korea. It seems to be a foreigner as well. And it looks like the explosion’s power varies depending on the hunter’s rank. The recent explosion in the U.S. wasn’t as powerful.”

Seo Wooju mentioned the hunter explosion in a serious tone, causing everyone’s faces to harden.

“The dungeon factor seems important too.”

“And the torn space. Something really came over from another world.”

“Well, the dungeon itself seems like another world.”

“How does a hunter explode anyway? Isn’t that the most dangerous thing?”

When Kwak Jonghoon loudly spoke about the hunter explosion, silence fell. Even Soohyuk, who had been sharing his opinions, closed his mouth. They still didn’t know much about the hunter explosion incident.

“I have something to say about that.”

All eyes turned to Choi Euiseong, who had raised his hand slightly.

“First, I won’t reveal my source. Let’s just say it’s someone I trust.”

“What kind of tip is it?”

The one who responded to Choi Euiseong was Seo Wooju, the de facto elder among the S-rank hunters.

“There’s a drug made by mixing various magic stones and herbs. Drinking it seems to increase one’s stats. It’s as addictive as a drug, and the more you drink, the more it ruins you. If you keep taking it, at the very least, you’ll die suddenly. At worst, you’ll explode. Your heart turns into a bomb.”

“You mean…”

“Hold on, Wooju hyung. Let me finish. If you take it to a certain extent, vine patterns appear near the heart. You can find them that way. And there’s an antidote. I don’t know the principle, but I know how to make it. You boil the root of the blue flame flower with some other ingredients. I can’t remember the rest right now, but I have it written down, so I’ll tell you later. That’s it. I’m done.”

Choi Euiseong raised both hands, signaling he was finished. The first to ask a question was, of course, Seo Wooju.

“Is this reliable information?”

“I haven’t confirmed it myself yet, but I trust the person who gave me the tip. It’s real. Honestly, there’s no harm in trying it out. It’s not difficult. Don’t you think?”

He tried his best to persuade the S-rank hunters.

It had already been over a week since he had received the related letter from Kim Minjun. He had planned to inform everyone after finding Minjun hyung first. However, despite using the blood and hair provided by Soohyuk, he kept failing to locate him. While he was tearing his hair out in frustration, a hunter went berserk and exploded inside the Poison Jar Dungeon.

With this turn of events, Choi Euiseong changed his mind. First, he needed to verify if the information Kim Minjun had provided was true. Checking for the vine patterns that appeared on the chest wasn’t difficult. The herbs needed for the antidote were also easy to obtain.

“Let’s do as guild leader Choi Winter suggested. It’s not hard to verify,” Seo Wooju quickly decided, and all the hunters, including Soohyuk, agreed.

At the same time, Soohyuk quietly observed Choi Euiseong sitting across from him. He had a feeling he knew who the reliable informant Choi Euiseong mentioned was.

Until now, the cause of the hunter explosions had only been speculated to be drugs. But finding out not only the cause but also the method of detection and resolution meant this was no ordinary informant. Even though Choi Euiseong claimed he had failed to find hunter Kim Minjun, it was clear there was more to the story.

“Choi Winter, just out of curiosity, is that reliable informant Minjun?”

Soohyuk, who had planned to ask Choi Euiseong quietly later, couldn’t hide his surprise and looked at Lee Hana. He hadn’t expected her to mention Kim Minjun’s name here. Not only Soohyuk but all the S-rank hunters present looked at Lee Hana with astonished faces. Especially Choi Euiseong, whose eyes widened in disbelief.

“What are you talking about?”

“Judging by your reaction, it’s true. I was just guessing.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Sure it isn’t. You’ve been searching for Minjun all this time, gathering materials to create a tracking artifact. And you’ve been quiet lately. Who else would give us such crucial information so easily?”

Soohyuk was impressed by Lee Hana’s deduction. He had the same thoughts, so he stared intently at Choi Euiseong. Although he could confirm it later, it didn’t matter if it was revealed in front of everyone now.

Seeing Choi Euiseong’s expression, it was clear he had been caught off guard. Naturally, the other hunters swarmed him like bees.

“What?”

“Is it for real?”

“It’s Minjun?”

With everyone’s eyes on him, Choi Euiseong felt a sense of defeat. He glanced out the window, contemplating escape, but Yoon Soohyuk had already stood up to block his way. Hwang Sujin stood beside him. Lee Hana and Kwak Jonghoon guarded the exit.

“Choi Euiseong, just tell us.”

Seo Wooju, using his real name instead of his nickname with a frightening expression, made Choi Euiseong’s face scrunch up. It was a threat that he wouldn’t be left alone if he tried to run.

At times like this, the S-rank hunters worked together seamlessly.

***

The March sunlight was bright, but the wind was strong. The branches outside the window were still bare. Minjun was sitting on a warm and cozy hospital bed in a private room, watching TV. He had a bag of popcorn from the convenience store in his hand.