Chapter 4
“Excuse me, this is illegal.”
“Illegal? What are you talking about? His Hunter ID clearly says F-rank. We’re just taking an F-rank Hunter as a porter. What law are we breaking? Do you even have grounds?”
I didn’t.
I still hadn’t officially corrected Lee Eunhyun’s rank as falsified.
But I couldn’t just let this go, so I followed them as they moved.
“Once you enter a dungeon, the government can’t help you no matter what happens. You’re supposed to eliminate all risks before going in.”
“Why don’t you go back to your office and shuffle papers or whatever you do, huh?”
I had already sent a support request on my phone, but even if backup came, what would I say? I had no physical evidence.
Technically, they were just a team entering a dungeon with a day-hired F-rank porter.
I’d probably get scolded instead for leaving my post without sufficient reason.
Still, I kept following them.
It wasn’t just distrust of Lee Eunhyun.
It was my gut.
“Please, just wait—huh?”
What’s so important about a gut feeling?
No.
My instincts had protected me for twenty-six years.
When I was young, I used to think I was overreacting. That it was just my imagination.
I ignored my instincts.
And I lost my adoptive parents because of it.
The strange sensation at the back of my neck—like my hair standing on end—had always been right.
“Is that the dungeon you’re entering?”
Unfortunately, the gate was much closer to the event venue than expected. Even for a low-rank dungeon, it was surprising they allowed the simple testing event to continue nearby.
“Yes, yes. So you can leave now? We’re already exhausted before even starting, dealing with a scammer and a civil servant.”
“Don’t go in.”
“Miss, are you not listening? Do I look like the kind of guy who won’t hit a woman?”
You look like you would only hit women, actually.
But this wasn’t the time to argue.
Because I saw something strange.
“You said it’s a D-rank dungeon?”
“Oh? Now you’re picking a fight over the dungeon rank? Too bad.”
The leader showed me his phone.
The photo matched the dungeon entrance in front of us, labeled D-rank. It even said, “Entry Reservation Complete.”
But that wasn’t what bothered me.
“Something’s wrong. This doesn’t look like a D-rank dungeon. It needs further investigation.”
If I can see dungeon formation, of course I can estimate dungeon rank.
I’ve seen enough to tell just by the flow of air at the entrance.
And what I was seeing now was definitely not D-rank.
“What are your team members’ ranks? Actually… you shouldn’t go in at all.”
Even if their levels matched, maybe they could manage.
But I remembered them saying earlier they were barely capable even with a porter.
If this dungeon was higher rank—
There would be casualties.
“This woman is really pushing it…!”
“What do you see?”
Before the leader’s large hand could grab my collar, Lee Eunhyun suddenly stepped in.
Even low-rank Hunters are much stronger than normal people.
His hand shot out so fast I could barely see it.
“What do you see at the dungeon entrance? What are you looking at, Assistant Manager Kim Yeoul?”
I was stunned.
He had ignored my attempts to stop them until now.
“Don’t tell me…”
Am I not the only one who sees something wrong?
Did he know from the beginning and intentionally join this team?
Before I could ask more, the leader finally grabbed my collar.
My feet lifted halfway off the ground.
“You two working together? Huh? You planned something? Trying to steal our reserved dungeon?”
“Cough—n-no—misunderstanding—”
“Leader! Don’t touch a civil servant! If we get a warning, our activity gets restricted!”
“Idiot! She’s probably lying about being a civil servant! They’re from another team trying to steal our dungeon! You think I’m stupid?”
Go write your own novel somewhere else.
I’d heard the Hunter industry had dirty competition due to legal loopholes, but this was ridiculous.
Compared to this, people asking me to inflate their Awakening rank seemed cute.
I couldn’t breathe.
“I’m really a public officer—let go!”
I tried to pry his hand off and barely managed to pull out my ID.
It didn’t matter.
My vision blurred.
I kicked out with all my strength, but of course it didn’t hit.
Damn Awakened people.
“Let her go.”
“Ha! See? They’re together!”
I was already imagining them all losing their Hunter licenses when suddenly—
My neck was free.
I collapsed to the ground, coughing.
When I looked up, I saw Lee Eunhyun holding the leader’s wrist.
Forget whether we’re together or not.
Do they have no brains?
An F-rank just blocked a higher-rank Hunter’s attack.
“Leader, let’s just go in without him. I-I’ll carry the load. Let’s just go!”
“Damn it, let go! Who sent you? Huh?”
Judging by the scuffle, their power levels weren’t that far apart.
They were probably of similar rank.
But Lee Eunhyun—supposedly F-rank—twisted the leader’s wrist effortlessly.
Sure, maybe the leader let his guard down because of me.
Still—
The gap between ranks among the Awakened is enormous.
Lower ranks cannot overpower higher ranks by force.
That’s common sense.
“None of you should go in!”
The dungeon entrance was flickering more violently now.
Something was changing.
Stopping Lee Eunhyun alone wouldn’t solve it anymore.
My voice came out hoarse from being strangled, but I grabbed at the leader’s clothes anyway.
“Assistant Manager Kim Yeoul, is your throat alright? What did you see at the entrance?”
“I’ll kill you! Let go!”
“Leader, what if she really is a civil servant?”
It was chaos.
I turned, wondering why backup hadn’t arrived—
Suddenly my body was yanked backward.
I thought someone grabbed my collar again.
But when I turned—
“Ahhh! What is this?!”
The dungeon entrance had grown larger.
The youngest Hunter, who had stayed farthest away, screamed as he crawled on all fours.
“…!”
Forget dignity.
I tried to crawl away too.
But it was too late.
Most of the team, Lee Eunhyun, and I—
We’re being sucked into the widened dungeon entrance.
I’d never heard of a dungeon entrance expanding.
Or pulling people in.
And I’m just a regular civil servant with no abilities!
“Get out!”
Even in this chaos, Lee Eunhyun moved and tried to push me away.
Like I wouldn’t want to leave?
It was already too late.
“Gasp—!”
I inhaled sharply—
And we were inside.
I almost fell, but Lee Eunhyun caught me.
I couldn’t even say thank you.
The space had completely changed.
“What—what is this? Did the entrance grow? Is that even possible?”
“I don’t know, damn it. Today’s cursed. And that idiot Minjin didn’t even get pulled in. Coward.”
“Calm down. We’re in, so that’s that. It’ll be tough, but let’s clear it fast and grab items.”
Their voices sounded distant, like broken audio.
Just moments ago, we were near a green park path close to the event venue.
Now—
It looked like a desert.
The scenery. The air. The humidity.
Everything was different.
It was my first time inside a dungeon.
“So what about those two? Leave them?”
“No. Even a cat’s paw helps right now. Worst case, we can throw them to the monsters.”
My instincts weren’t just warning me.
They were screaming.
Get out.
But you can’t leave a dungeon until it’s cleared.
“You heard us. If you die in here, your body won’t even be recovered. If you want to leave alive, you’d better listen.”
This is really bad.
