BCGWR Chapter 11 Part 1

What Cannot Be Replaced 4

After moving for about 5 minutes, drinking a Mana Potion almost every two minutes, the Dungeon entrance gradually came into view in the distance.

“Huck…!”

“Squeak…!”

Han Ji-su and Toto’s eyes widened simultaneously as they saw the color of the light emanating from the Dungeon.

The Dungeon, which had clearly glowed lime green on the news earlier, was now burning with a blood-red and pitch-black light.

He had seen S-rank Dungeons emit red light before, but this was the first time he had seen one tinged with black. Even a newborn baby who didn’t know what a Dungeon was would surely find its appearance ominous.

As Han Ji-su gritted his teeth, a translucent, window-like box appeared in his vision, displaying text.

[Flight skill will be canceled due to insufficient MP. Please replenish MP. Remaining MP: 17]

His meager Mana pool began to cry out for Mana depletion again. He uncorked another Mana Potion bottle and poured it into his mouth, and the display at the end of the message changed to [Remaining MP: 180].

Although he had charged up to maximum Mana, it was consumed at a rate of 1-2 per second, so he preemptively took out the next potion he would drink, held it in his hand, and released his transformation.

His appearance returned to his original form as Han Ji-su, and Toto also became a golden hamster instead of a long-tailed tit.

“Squeak…”

Toto, standing up and holding onto the edge of the pocket with his front paws, spotted the burning Gate in the distance and hunched his body uneasily.

He had entered countless Dungeons before, but this was the first time Toto had reacted with such apprehension. Han Ji-su’s body was also overly tense, his heart pounding violently as if it would burst. He swallowed hard, feeling a throbbing sensation in his throat and a headache.

Ignoring the abnormal sensations and pains erupting throughout his body, he flew to the vicinity of the Dungeon Gate, where Awakened Association personnel were already blocking entry.

Han Ji-su lowered his altitude, gradually descending to the ground, and surveyed the area around the Gate. A short distance from the Gate, he saw the raid team being treated by Healers and medical staff.

“…!! Haaah… It was an Open-type, thankfully…”

“Squeak…”

Dungeon entry methods were broadly divided into two types: Open-type and Closed-type. An Open-type, as the name suggested, allowed additional entry even if the raid team failed to clear the Dungeon boss after entering, and the existing raid team could exit the Dungeon.

Conversely, a Closed-type Dungeon was one where the Gate was sealed after a certain period once entered. Unless the boss was cleared, or all members of the entering raid team used expensive Return Stones to escape, or were annihilated inside, no one could enter or exit.

In the case of an Open-type Dungeon, even if a raid failed, the Dungeon allowed a certain duration, so it was a matter of regrouping and re-entering within that time to try again.

Of course, he was quite anxious because he didn’t know the Rank of that burning, dark crimson, blood-red Dungeon, but for now, Han Ji-su put aside his concerns about the Dungeon itself and quickly scanned the surroundings. Kang Jae-yoon was not yet visible.

“Toto, do you see Jae-yoon hyung?”

“Squeak…”

Toto shook his head slightly, keenly observing the ground below. Han Ji-su, after scanning the surroundings, deliberately spoke calmly to soothe his churning chest.

“Jae-yoon hyung is the leader, so he’s probably preparing for re-entry with other Guild leaders. Let’s go down and ask.”

“Squeak!”

Han Ji-su, having landed, was able to approach the raid team without any particular hindrance.

Everyone on site was busy with their own tasks, but Han Ji-su himself was so well-known that no one stopped him.

Han Ji-su hurried, almost running, toward where the Peace Guild members were.

“Jin Bo-ra Esper!”

“Han Ji-su Guide…!”

Jin Bo-ra, whose face was already pale, noticeably darkened when she spotted Han Ji-su. Beside her, he saw Park Min-ah, a Guide with a shoulder injury, and Lee Soo-bin, a Healer treating her.

“Is everyone alright? Park Min-ah Guide! Are you badly hurt?”

“…No, as you can see… I’m fine.”

Park Min-ah, who said she was fine, had all her defensive gear in tatters.

Her shoulder was also stained with blood, but seeing her sitting on her own, extending her arm for treatment, it didn’t seem to be a critical injury.

It was a fortunate situation, but he couldn’t rejoice wholeheartedly. Ji Seok-min, an Esper from the Awakened Association, and Seong Jun, a Healer, who were nearby, appeared to be severely injured and unconscious, being loaded onto an emergency helicopter with the dispatched Healers.

“…Park Ho-yeon Esper’s injuries are also severe…”

When he looked from the sky, he focused on finding Peace Guild members and hadn’t noticed in detail, but now on the ground, up close, he saw that the Peace Guild had suffered relatively less, and everyone’s injuries were more severe than he expected.

In particular, Park Ho-yeon, an Esper from the Flame Guild, had his left arm cleanly severed and was being treated by a Healer while holding his own left arm with his right hand. Han Ji-su, tearing his gaze from Park Ho-yeon’s treatment, looked around and asked.

“Jae-yoon hyung, no. Where is Kang Jae-yoon Esper?”

“…”

Jin Bo-ra, asked the question, parted her lips but couldn’t say anything. Han Ji-su, feeling unnecessarily more anxious at her reaction, tried hard to remain calm as he waited for an answer.

But no matter how long he waited, neither she nor Park Min-ah and Lee Soo-bin beside her answered. Seeing the Guild members’ reactions, Han Ji-su thought these mischievous people were teasing him again. There was no reason for only Kang Jae-yoon not to have come out when everyone else had.

Since Kang Jae-yoon was the raid team leader, Han Ji-su was convinced that he was surely somewhere, hastily directing the aftermath. He looked around, but Jae-yoon was nowhere to be seen.

“Ah, hyung went to assemble the re-entry raid team, right?”

Han Ji-su asked in an intentionally calm voice, unaware that his own lips were trembling.

He mistakenly believed that he had a perfectly normal, unaffected expression, but the three people who saw his face merely clenched their mouths shut.