S Chapter 47

‘What kind of thing is that?’

Shin Jukyeong let out a hollow laugh. This was a Dungeon he was encountering for the first time. If it expels Hunters, how was it supposed to be cleared?

Only one method immediately came to mind: destroying the Dungeon itself. Of course, that would result in widespread damage. There was a high probability of a Dungeon Wave occurring, and the swallowed hostages would also be beyond rescue. Most importantly, the surrounding area would be laid to waste. Restoration would take at least several years. If they were unlucky, there could even be casualties.

It was a headache-inducing situation in many ways.

‘As for other methods…’

Shin Jukyeong furrowed his brows. This was because the method that came to mind was preposterous. It was for a ‘non-manifested individual’ (ordinary person) who had not undergone Ability Manifestation to enter and destroy the Core.

But what madman in the world would volunteer to go in? Even a C-grade Dungeon would be catastrophic for an ordinary person. It would be difficult to even call that a sacrifice; it would simply be pushing them to their death, as there was a very high chance they would be overwhelmed by monsters before even reaching the Core.

‘It expels Hunters, huh…’

In that case, even an S-rank Hunter wouldn’t change anything. That was literally the Dungeon’s ‘special ability.’ It couldn’t be overcome by force.

Now, the Hunter Association had to make a decision.

1. Sacrifice the few for the many. → The hostages swallowed by the Dungeon and the residents of this neighborhood would suffer.

2. Sacrifice the many for the few. → Non-manifested individuals, soldiers, and police would die endlessly to rescue the hostages and destroy the Core.

“…Hm.”

Shin Jukyeong recalled a philosophy problem he had heard before.

Four hostages and one hostage are tied to separate railway tracks. You are the train conductor. If the train derails, hundreds of passengers will die, so you cannot stop. Which track will you take: the one with four people tied to it, or the one with one?

It was a question with no good answer, just like the current situation. But at the same time, it was a question everyone knew the answer to. If sacrifice was inevitable, one simply chose the lesser of two evils. In fact, there was no need to hesitate. Unless you were a fool, you would obviously choose the former.

‘Unfortunately…’

Shin Jukyeong clenched his fist.

‘But we’re super-duper best friends!’

Suddenly, the image of a child smiling foolishly came to mind.

Shin Jukyeong wasn’t aware of it, but his fingers were anxiously tapping his thigh. He kept searching for another way, even though he knew it was unlikely to work.

‘A way where no one has to be sacrificed… Think. Think.’

Think, Shin Jukyeong. He bit his lip. It expels Hunters, it expels manifested individuals… Wait.

‘Manifested individuals… are expelled?’

In Shin Jukyeong’s mind, the broken pieces of a puzzle began to fit together one by one.

‘The method of a ‘non-manifested individual’ entering and destroying the Core. But what madman in the world would volunteer to go in?’

There is. A madman who would volunteer to go in.

‘Me.’

Shin Jukyeong’s eyes flashed. A twisted smile spread across his hardened mouth.

‘They say there’s always a way out, even if the sky falls. Old sayings are never wrong.’

Honestly, it was a fifty-fifty chance. If this Dungeon was so extremely sensitive that it even manifested the powers it was forcibly suppressing, there would be nothing he could do. However, it was worth a try. Shin Jukyeong was, strictly speaking, a non-manifested individual (for now).

The problem was how to get past the Hunters and enter.

“Excuse me, could you open the door?”

Rejected.

“Actually, I’m a non-manifested individual, but in my previous life I was a pro Hunter… blah blah blah?”

Ending: locked up in a mental hospital.

No time, so just overpower them and go in?

Hmm. Too risky.

Shin Jukyeong sighed deeply. It was a situation where all eyes were already on them. There was nothing good to gain by acting out here. It would be troublesome even if he became a symbol of sacrifice and got a medal. The moment he slipped up, he might even receive a civic award.

Ah, damn, he could already see it. People with tear-filled eyes thanking him, reporters snapping photos, and even his father engaging in media play in front of them, claiming he only did what was natural. Ugh. A terrible future. He absolutely had to avoid it. He couldn’t possibly get such a model image.

‘Then I need to be caught up in an accident…’

Could someone just shove him into the Dungeon? As he squinted, choosing a suitable target, an urgent shout came from afar.

“Ji-ho!”

Yang U-dam could be seen rushing over, his face pale. His despairing eyes were trembling wildly. He looked as if he was on the verge of collapsing from shock. They say even dog shit can be used as medicine; the timing was perfect.

“Ji-ho, Yang Ji-ho!”

“No, you can’t. Please step back!”

“I, I’m a Hunter Academy student! I’m a Hunter! Let me in. I, I’ll save him! I can’t see my brother. My brother, he’s inside… Ha, I think he went inside. Huh? I’ll just check. Damn it, I said I’ll just check!”

“Calm down!”

“How can I calm down, you bastard! Don’t you damn well have a family?! Let go of me, I’m going in. Let go! Let go, you bastard!”

The Hunters subdued the agitated U-dam and pushed him back. They bickered and scuffled for quite a while.

Looks like it’s almost done? Shin Jukyeong, who had been observing, approached them.

“…!”

The agitated U-dam, who had been shouting with veins bulging in his neck, stopped his actions as soon as he saw Shin Jukyeong. When Shin Jukyeong deliberately lowered his head as if apologetic, U-dam’s face turned ashen. His recent actions must have proven that Yang Ji-ho was inside the Dungeon. He was probably beside himself with rage and despair.

‘He needs to rampage just enough.’

As soon as the thought finished, U-dam grabbed him by the collar. Thankfully, he moved as expected.

“Hey… I, I… ha, I clearly…”

His face was so distorted that anyone watching would feel pity. The hand clutching his collar trembled violently with resentment.

“I told you… to look after Ji-ho. To, huh? I asked you!”

“…”

Shin Jukyeong didn’t respond. He needed the other party to get a little more agitated for the situation to flow smoothly. Shin Jukyeong pretended to be swayed by U-dam’s shaking, gradually narrowing the distance to the Dungeon.

No one present would think he was deliberately backing towards the Dungeon. They would just see it as an ordinary scuffle. This was all thanks to U-dam’s screaming. Because he was raging with such fury, even the Hunters couldn’t bring themselves to intervene and were just fidgeting.

‘Keep going.’

Shin Jukyeong cheered him on internally. If you want to save your brother, you need to get angrier.

“Was it because I was unlucky? No, it wasn’t… Huh? Just watching Ji-ho, just looking out for him for a moment… was that so hard for you?! He’s a kid, you know you shouldn’t take your eyes off him!”

U-dam probably knew it wasn’t Shin Jukyeong’s fault. A Dungeon was like a natural disaster. But he needed someone to vent his anger on, someone to direct his resentment towards. Shin Jukyeong knew that too. Normally, he might have patted his shoulder… but sorry. He couldn’t do that now.

“…No, no. It’s not, not your fault… I, like an idiot…”

The grip on his collar loosened. U-dam suddenly started to self-deprecate.

Huh? This won’t do. Hey, kid! If you start blaming yourself now, my plan will go awry. Shin Jukyeong clicked his tongue and quickly switched personalities. The ‘bastard persona’ was now on.

“You’ve done enough, let go.”

“…What?”

U-dam raised his head. When their eyes met, Shin Jukyeong’s lips curled into a sneer.

“Why is that my fault? It’s embarrassing, so stop it.”

The words flowed out smoothly. They were not words one could say with even a shred of decency, especially not to the family of a victim. Even as he uttered them, Shin Jukyeong wanted to punch himself, so how would the other person feel? He must want to kill him. But it still wasn’t enough. He had to run his mouth more. Only then would U-dam truly snap.

“What, you bastard… what?”

Roughly, the meter seemed to be at about 80-90%. One more prod and he’d explode.

‘He needs to hit me really hard?’

I’ll show him what a real Hollywood reaction is.

“Why are you blaming others and acting crazy? Is he my brother? You should have watched him properly!”

“You…!”

The wording was harsh, but factually, nothing he said was wrong. It was true that one should look after their own sibling. However, as he’d said before, people get angry when they hear the truth. Especially in an urgent situation like this, such words would be infuriatingly annoying. How could anyone resist striking him?

Yes, just like this.

“You bastard!”

—WHACK!

Shin Jukyeong’s head snapped around. Stars twinkled. The impact felt incredible… Did this guy box? Would he need an implant? He volunteered to get hit, but it hurt like hell. Well, never mind that. What was important is what came next. He couldn’t hesitate. He had to finish this before people started asking, ‘Are you okay?’

“Ugh!” Shin Jukyeong cried out, tumbling to the ground with a crash. He was so dramatic that even the Hunters widened their eyes in confusion, ‘???’. Even U-dam, the one who had thrown the punch, subtly glanced down at his own fist. The thought ‘Was I that strong?’ was clearly visible on his face. That’s how much Shin Jukyeong had overreacted.