Chapter 163
Haeundae Beach, Busan.
During peak vacation season, this beautiful white sandy beach would be packed with crowds.
But recently, something unusual had been happening.
The Knights Guild, the leading guild of the Yeongnam region, had received multiple reports of people disappearing near Haeundae and began patrolling the area.
And then, they discovered the truth.
“Skeletons.”
At Im Taegyu’s words, the Knights Guild’s executive members fell silent.
“The areas where skeletons are appearing are expanding.”
A video played on screen, showing countless skeletal soldiers crawling out from beneath the sand.
Hunters from Knights Guild were seen fighting them off.
Even at that very moment, the battle continued on-screen.
Watching the ongoing fight, Knights Guild Master Park Jongsu ground his teeth in frustration.
“The problem is, we have no idea where these things are coming from.”
From the situation alone, it was clear that a dungeon break had occurred somewhere off the coast of Busan.
However, they couldn’t locate the gate.
“Judging from the endless waves of skeletons, there’s likely a Necromancer-type monster summoning them.”
“If we assume it’s a boss monster, then typically, such bosses remain in the rearmost position—either inside the gate itself or somewhere very close to it.”
With that, the previously silent executives began discussing rapidly.
“We’ve been devoting all our resources to searching for the gate…”
“But we can’t find it anywhere.”
“At this point, we’re even wondering if the gate spawned underwater.”
“That’s impossible! Gates have never appeared underwater before!”
“The Cataclysm happened just two years ago! There’s no telling what new anomalies might occur!”
Gates—dimensional rifts connecting Earth to otherworldly realms.
They could appear anywhere, at any time, without warning.
Yet, strangely enough, not a single gate had ever been detected underwater.
No one knew why, but humanity had been fortunate in this regard.
If humans lost control of the seas, their future would be nothing short of grim.
However, nothing could be taken for granted.
No one had predicted the Cataclysm, and there was no way to anticipate what new, unforeseen disasters lay ahead.
The Hunter who had raised his voice just now was emphasizing that exact point.
“Enough.”
With just a single firm command from Im Taegyu, the heated discussion immediately died down.
The people gathered in the room were the top executives of Knights Guild—all A-rank Hunters.
While there were differences in individual strength, they were still peers of the same rank, meaning their words carried equal weight.
However, there was one clear exception—
Im Taegyu.
As the only S-rank Hunter in the room, his authority far surpassed anyone else’s.
Once the room fell silent, Im Taegyu continued.
“I agree that we must consider all possibilities. But we have limited forces at our disposal.”
If a gate had truly spawned underwater, then this wasn’t a problem they could solve with their current resources.
Rather than wasting time debating the impossible, it was better to focus on what they could do.
“For now, we must assume the gate is hidden somewhere along the coastline and organize the search accordingly.”
Having laid out his decision, Im Taegyu’s gaze subtly shifted toward Suho.
‘You understand the situation now, don’t you?’
Suho met his unspoken message with a silent nod.
“Ahem. With that in mind, we have two urgent priorities.”
Just then, Im Taegyu’s eyes briefly flickered to Im Dogyun standing beside Suho.
Clearing his throat, he quickly looked away and continued.
“First, we must continue holding back the endless waves of magical beasts attacking the shore. We need to allocate as much manpower as possible to this front.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
If the monsters reached the city, the damage would be catastrophic.
Furthermore, the first wave of monsters in a dungeon break was always the weakest.
Right now, they were only dealing with skeletons, but if left unchecked, more dangerous creatures would undoubtedly emerge later.
They needed to reinforce their front lines in preparation for what was to come.
“Second, we must locate the gate as quickly as possible. Since this task requires moving through the enemy ranks, I will personally lead a small, elite search team.”
At that, Park Jongsu raised his hand and asked,
“What are the qualifications for joining this team?”
“Since this is primarily a reconnaissance mission, I’ll be prioritizing speed over combat strength.”
‘Speed over combat?’
At those words, Im Dogyun’s eyes lit up.
And the moment volunteers were called, he immediately raised his hand.
Seeing this, Im Taegyu visibly flinched.
However, keeping his composure, he continued in a calm voice.
“Ah, I forgot to mention one thing. Only B-rank Hunters or higher may volunteer for the search team.
Since there’s a high risk of encountering the boss monster, it’s extremely dangerous.”
…
Yet, even after hearing that, Im Dogyun didn’t lower his hand.
‘I’m fast.’
After all, he had spent his entire life running away.
Seeing his determined gaze, Im Taegyu turned to Suho, silently urging him to talk some sense into his friend.
But instead, Suho smirked and raised his own hand.
“I’m not B-rank either, but Woojin Guild will also join the search team.”
“…Fine. So be it.”
With a reluctant sigh, Im Taegyu nodded.
After all, the main reason he had invited Suho here in the first place was to have him join the search team.
Im Taegyu had expected Suho to join the search team—but he hadn’t anticipated his own son, an E-rank Hunter, volunteering.
‘Still… he’s the guild master. He’ll take responsibility for his guild members’ safety.’
‘They even cleared the Glacier Dungeon together.’
Suppressing his unease, Im Taegyu finalized the detailed strategy for the Hunters before concluding the meeting.
“Alright, the operation begins now.”
—
A 20-person search team was assembled.
Im Taegyu divided them into five squads, each consisting of four members.
But then, a problem arose.
“I will lead the 1st squad, and Hunter Sung Suho from Woojin Guild will lead the 2nd squad. As for the 3rd squad…”
“Huh?!”
“What did you just say?”
The Hunters who had volunteered under the assumption that an S-rank Hunter would be leading them were caught completely off guard.
“Wait, this isn’t what we agreed on!”
“I heard Hunter Sung Suho is only a C-rank!”
“Our lives are on the line! How can you let a C-rank lead us?!”
Im Taegyu expected this kind of reaction.
With calm authority, he responded,
“Let me remind you—our mission is reconnaissance, not combat. That’s why I specifically asked for volunteers with exceptional speed.”
“T-That’s true, but still…”
“We’re searching for the boss monster. Shouldn’t we prioritize safety?”
“Exactly! And I’m a B-rank Hunter! How am I supposed to take orders from a mere C-rank?!”
“Hah. A ‘mere’ C-rank, huh?”
Im Taegyu chuckled.
Though their concerns were valid, he found their attitude amusing.
“Suho—no, Guild Master Sung Suho. You still haven’t had your rank re-evaluated?”
“I’ve been too busy establishing my guild.”
“Once this mission is over, go get tested. That way, we won’t have to waste time on pointless arguments like this.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll take command of the 2nd squad instead! I’ll assign my subordinate to lead the 3rd squad.”
“Hm?”
As Suho and Im Taegyu were talking, a Hunter stepped forward confidently.
A-rank Hunter, Jung Yuntae.
He was the vice-guild master of Knights Guild, closely tied to Park Jongsu, the guild master.
Jung Yuntae narrowed his eyes at the 2nd squad.
A guild master who was only C-rank—
An E-rank Hunter as his guild member—
And then…
‘Who is that woman? A Woojin Guild Hunter?’
Among them stood Esil, whom Suho had summoned from the Shadow Dungeon and officially included in Woojin Guild.
The last member of their squad was a B-rank Hunter from Knights Guild.
“Tsk.”
Jung Yuntae clicked his tongue.
“Compared to the other squads, the 2nd squad is severely lacking in combat power. I should switch to 2nd squad instead. Naturally, as the strongest, I will be the squad leader.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“…What?”
Suho agreed immediately, catching Jung Yuntae off guard.
Without hesitation, Suho transferred the Knights Guild Hunter to the 3rd squad and stepped down as squad leader.
Then, with a smirk, he patted Jung Yuntae on the back.
“I don’t really care, so let’s get moving.”
“…H-Huh?”
And just like that, Jung Yuntae suddenly found himself leading the 2nd squad.
The finalized teams prepared to depart.
Before they left, Im Taegyu gave one last set of instructions.
“Each squad will spread out to their designated areas. Regardless of whether you encounter anything unusual, report in real-time.”
“Understood!”
Jung Yuntae, now leading the weakest squad, turned to his new subordinates and gave his first command.
“Squad 2 will break through the skeletons and begin reconnaissance immediately! Now, move—”
Flash!
At his words, Jung Yuntae shot forward at top speed.
And as he ran, he glanced behind him to make sure his team was keeping up.
“Don’t fall behind—huh?”
There was no one behind him.
“…Huh?”
With a confused expression, he turned back toward the front.
And to his shock, his entire squad was already ahead of him.
‘…What the hell?!’
Jung Yuntae’s eyes widened.
His squad’s speed was unbelievable.
Even Im Dogyun, the E-rank Hunter, was ahead of him!
‘This… doesn’t make sense.’
Jung Yuntae wasn’t the only one surprised.
Even Im Taegyu, who had been watching from afar, was stunned.
After regaining his composure, Jung Yuntae pushed himself harder to catch up, shouting,
“W-Wait! That area is full of skeletons! You need to stay with me to be safe—”
But before he could finish—
“Perfect.”
Suho, who was leading the group, clenched his fist as he saw the wave of skeletons approaching.
[Blizzard.]
Whooosh!
A bitter cold swept through the area.
The advancing skeletons were instantly engulfed in a raging snowstorm.
Crack—!
The frost-covered bones shattered, leaving nothing but a frozen wasteland in their wake.
Even the waves crashing onto the shore froze solid.
And then—
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, “Silad,” awakens.]
From his slumber, the Monarch of Frost, Silad, opened his eyes.
