BCGWR Chapter 50 Part 1

Side Effect 5

Listening to Jung Ha-jin’s calm story delivered in a low, deep voice, Han Ji-su visibly calmed down.

He had been momentarily shaken, but thinking about Jung Ha-jin’s words, it truly sounded nonsensical. Moreover, Mount Tai was a tourist destination steeped in Chinese history. Would there be any reason to intentionally blow up such an important place and damage it just to hide a Dungeon? Even Han Ji-su thought it sounded groundless.

But…

“…But, Esper Jung Ha-jin. Taejongdae, Busan was the first time an uncleared Dungeon didn’t explode or cause a Monster Wave but simply disappeared, wasn’t it?”

“…”

“…Of course… there might be countries that haven’t reported such cases, but at least in Korea, it was the first, wasn’t it? Then… couldn’t there be a chance of the same Dungeon reappearing?”

“I can’t say it’s 100% impossible. I have no definite knowledge on that either.”

“…”

Han Ji-su took Jung Ha-jin’s answer to mean that no one knew for sure.

And that was the truth.

Normally, Dungeons that had not been cleared would either explode, devastating the surrounding area as if bombed, or their gates would open, unleashing a ‘Monster Wave’ where monsters poured out like a tide.

The latter phenomenon was overwhelmingly more common than the former.

Whether other countries were concealing information or not, Han Ji-su didn’t know. But as far as he was aware, there had been no cases like Taejongdae, Busan, where an uncleared Dungeon simply vanished without causing any damage to its surroundings. Furthermore, there was no record of a gate emitting a strange, screaming sound.

When the video of the Taejongdae, Busan Gate’s disappearance was released, even overseas media treated it as breaking news, stating they had never seen such a bizarre phenomenon. This suggested it was rare or unprecedented internationally.

“So those Youtubers… are claiming that since some countries don’t open all their information, we can’t be sure of anything?”

“They are arguing that a 1% possibility cannot be ruled out.”

“…”

As Han Ji-su’s lips parted to say something, Jung Ha-jin added that it seemed to be more so because the Dungeon appeared in China, of all places, not some other country.

Hearing him, Han Ji-su blinked a few times, then nodded in agreement.

Among the world’s major powers, South Korea, the United States, Japan, and the European Union actively shared information on the number of Awakened, Dungeon ecosystems, and monster data. However, countries like Russia, China, and India did not even properly announce the exact number of their Awakened individuals.

Currently, there were officially five SS-rank Espers: two in the United States, Jung Ha-jin and Kim Hyun-ah in Korea, and the last one in China.

However, in China’s case, the total number of Awakened announced was so small that most reactions found it hard to believe there were so few Awakened among such a massive population.

The most famous incident related to confirmed Awakened issues was rank deception.

When an Esper, previously announced as A-rank in China, naturalized in the United States and revealed that he was actually S-rank and had operated under the government’s instructions to act as an A-rank, it caused considerable controversy. When the Esper was re-evaluated at the US Awakened Center, his rank was measured as S, which further fueled suspicions of China manipulating its Awakened list. However, China did not respond to any of this at the time.

Recalling China’s past issues, Han Ji-su unconsciously murmured something as if he had understood.

“…Indeed, since China didn’t even properly announce the number of Awakened… there would be people who believe they might have also concealed Dungeons. Oh, of course, I’m not saying China definitely did that… but since they have a history of manipulation in other areas… I think that’s why the Youtuber’s statement resonated well with the media.”

Hearing his hastily added words, Jung Ha-jin nodded silently. It was a reaction that seemed to say, ‘I understand why you would think that,’ but Han Ji-su, taking it as agreement with his opinion, seemed to gain courage and added a little more.

“…Isn’t it really strange? If the gate was just going to disappear, why would China bother to artificially detonate bombs around it to make it seem like the Dungeon exploded?”

“The claim that bombs were detonated is simply the Youtuber’s assertion to begin with.”

“Ah…”

Han Ji-su paused for a moment at the sharp denial, which was contrary to the affirmative answer he expected, but then awkwardly nodded, carefully asking Jung Ha-jin’s opinion again.

“Then, Esper Jung Ha-jin… do you think it wasn’t an artificial explosion?”

He asked as if trying not to care much, trying to sound calm, but it was a pathetic question that couldn’t help but reveal his hidden desire.

Han Ji-su’s expression was far from okay, even by generous standards. He wanted an affirmative answer, even a tiny 1% hope, yet he already knew that hope couldn’t be true.

So Jung Ha-jin deliberately nodded slightly, more calmly than usual, and answered with conviction in a composed voice.

“Yes. The Mount Tai Dungeon explosion incident is merely a statement made by the Youtuber to attract attention, not an artificial explosion by China.”

Jung Ha-jin immediately answered as if he was certain the Youtuber’s claim was complete nonsense.

Hearing his firm and confident reply, Han Ji-su seemed to calm down even more than before, maintaining a much more relaxed breath as he continued.

“…I see. Still, the fact that such a rumor appeared suggests that there’s something, even small, that raised suspicion and was seized upon… It would be good if they could provide accurate confirmation so that such talk wouldn’t even arise in the first place…”

He still lingered, his voice trailing off with regret, but Jung Ha-jin shook his head and calmly explained the current situation.

“The Mount Tai area is currently sealed off due to severe rockfalls and landslide risks caused by the explosion when the Dungeon vanished. It will be thoroughly managed, preventing external access until recovery is complete.”

“…”

“Furthermore, China does not deploy foreign personnel for its domestic incidents, so dispatching an investigation team is practically impossible.”

Han Ji-su chuckled in resignation, thinking that even if there were a way to go to Mount Tai, the Peace Guild wouldn’t send him, an unqualified individual.