Chapter 20 – A Trip to Hell
The next morning, Ha-Joon quietly got dressed. As he zipped up his jacket, his thoughts drifted to the call he received the night before. It was Jin-Ah, and she sounded unusually anxious.
"Ha-Joon, can you talk to my friend? She awakened recently and wants to become a hunter. But she's only an E-Rank. She doesn't understand how dangerous it is," she had said, her voice tinged with worry.
Ha-Joon sighed, fixing his hair in the mirror.
Her friend… it must be Han Song-Yi. She's the only one in Jin-Ah's circle I know who awakened. If it's her, then she was the one who entered the Ice Elf dungeon with Jin-Woo.
With that in mind, he grabbed his keys and stepped outside. The morning sun lit the streets, and the world was busy as always. Yet, Ha-Joon's gaze remained distant, lost in deeper thoughts.
Jin-Woo must already be inside that dungeon with the prisoners. I hope he can save that hunter, he thought, walking steadily through the city.
After about thirty minutes of walking, he arrived at the meeting place. His brow furrowed in confusion.
"…An amusement park?"
"Ha-Joon! Over here!" Jin-Ah's cheerful voice cut through his confusion. She waved from a table near a food stand inside the park. Sitting next to her was a girl with dark hair and a determined look in her eyes.
Ha-Joon approached and sat down.
"A park? Really?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.
"After this, we can have some fun!" Jin-Ah replied with a bright smile.
"This is my friend, Han Song-Yi. The one I told you about."
Ha-Joon looked at her.
"Nice to meet you," he said politely.
"Nice to meet you too. Jin-Ah talks a lot about you," Song-Yi responded.
He got straight to the point.
"So, you want to become a hunter, even though you're just E-Rank?"
"I do. I'm ready for the risks," she said firmly.
Ha-Joon crossed his arms, his expression hardening.
"Do you know what being E-Rank means? In comics, you'd be the background character. In games, the first one to die. In the world of hunters… you're cannon fodder. You're just there to die in the shockwaves of the powerful. Is that what you want?"
Song-Yi lowered her head, silently absorbing his words. Jin-Ah looked at her friend with concern. She knew Ha-Joon wasn't being cruel—he was being honest.
That's why… when I reincarnated and my powers hadn't awakened yet, I gave up. I knew I'd die a miserable death to some low-level monster if I stepped into a dungeon unprepared. It may sound harsh, but it's the truth. She doesn't have a system like Jin-Woo or a hacked ability like mine to back her up, he thought, staring at the table.
Song-Yi opened her mouth to respond—but the air around them suddenly trembled.
A blinding light enveloped everything.
Silence followed.
Ha-Joon's eyes shot open.
The tables, the rides, the people—they were all gone.
They were inside a dungeon.
Jin-Ah and Han Song-Yi looked around in confusion, fear starting to creep in.
"Stay calm. I'm here," Ha-Joon said, stepping in front of them. His Byakugan activated, veins pulsating around his temples.
He scanned the dungeon.
"This is a B-Rank dungeon… but that boss… the mana it's emitting is monstrous," he muttered.
He turned his gaze deeper into the area. Dozens of people had been dragged into the dungeon, now hiding in whatever corners they could find.
They won't survive long enough for rescue teams to arrive… and if only the three of us make it out, it'll raise too many questions. Damn it…
He clenched his fists—then smiled.
But you know what? I want to save them.
He turned to Jin-Ah and Song-Yi.
"Listen up. Somehow, we got pulled into a dungeon, and there are others here too. They're hiding, but the monsters could find them at any moment. They won't last long. I'm going to defeat the boss and shut this dungeon down before it's too late. You two stay behind me at all times. Got it?"
Both girls nodded.
"Here." Ha-Joon summoned two weapons formed from condensed mana and handed them to the girls. "These aren't that strong, but they'll help you defend yourselves from weak monsters."
He turned toward the dark tunnel that led deeper into the dungeon.
The air around them seemed to shiver with the promise of danger.
"Let's go."
With steady steps, Ha-Joon led them into the unknown depths of the dungeon.
Each footstep echoed like a countdown to chaos, and yet, Ha-Joon walked with unwavering resolve.
Behind him, Jin-Ah and Han Song-Yi followed closely, gripping their weapons tightly.
They didn't know what awaited them in the shadows, but one thing was certain—this would not be a simple walk in the park.
It was a trip to hell.