TPDGR 18

Chapter 18 …

Damn it! I missed the chance to let go.

I silently screamed while clutching Joanna’s hand tightly.

Putting Joanna in the mining exploration team had been a stroke of genius.

Conveniently, in our dungeon, along with Griffith, we had Joanna—the so-called “extra.”

Griffith had already shed the stigma of being an “extra” after his great victory against Han Hyun-jin, but Joanna… well, she shone just by existing. It didn’t really matter if she was considered an extra.

Then I thought about it—Joanna’s holy power must be of the light attribute.

And the ghosts living in this damp mine? They were obviously dark-attribute like me.

Which meant… she could use her affinity to drive out every last ghost from this mine!

That was why I had boldly put Joanna on the mining team.

It was the moment I was promoting her from “extra baggage” to our precious “Anna.”

…But suddenly, she was dragging me down with her like a water ghost??

I had planned to encourage her at the mine entrance and slip away, but—

Contrary to her lily-like appearance, Joanna had quite the grip strength.

Instead of making a clean exit as I had prepared, I was dragged straight into the mine.

Eek!

Pitch-black darkness filled the tunnel.

Dripping water echoed, the floor was uneven, the clammy chill clung to my skin, and an ominous tension hung in the air, as if something might pop out any moment.

Griffith and Number Two walked ahead with torches lit. Number Two swept his gaze lazily around.

“Hmm, looks like just an ordinary mine to me.”

Don’t say stuff like that—it’s a death flag, damn it!

“I have no objections either.”

Griffith, you too? Carefully reciting cliché horror-movie lines one by one…

At this point, the only one I could rely on was Joanna with her holy power.

“Joanna, you have to keep holding my hand, okay?”

Even if ghosts showed up, she’d exorcise them all.

Just as I turned to her while holding her hand—

“…Joanna?”

The flickering firelight revealed her face. She was staring intently ahead, lost in thought.

And I was certain she wasn’t looking at Griffith or Number Two walking in front.

“There’s something there.”

Whoosh.

The moment Joanna spoke, the torches Griffith and Number Two held went out.

Ack!

I barely stopped a scream from bursting out. My heart pounded like crazy, dizziness washing over me.

Everything was unfolding in perfect horror-movie order.

In horror movies, Americans who just have to go into forbidden places always die…

Terrified, I clutched Joanna’s hand even tighter. If I let go of this, I’d really lose my mind!

Then suddenly—flames flared back to life before my eyes.

“Must have been a gust of wind.”

Griffith’s calm voice reassured me a little. He and Number Two calmly re-lit their torches.

Whew… Still, that was terrifying. Nearly scared my soul out of me.

And having Joanna beside me made it less—

…Huh?

“Joanna, it’s dangerous to go ahead like that.”

“There’s something over there, Griffith.”

I blinked at the sight before me.

While the others were relighting their torches, Joanna had gone much farther ahead.

Then whose hand was I still holding?

What?

A cold sensation crept into my fingertips. My neck stiffened, my heart pounding wildly.

Creak…

I turned my head ever so slowly.

“Wh-wh-wh-who…”

…Who are you?

I looked at the one holding my hand tightly.

Its semi-transparent body revealed the faint outline of the rock wall behind it.

Then my gaze dropped—

Feet…

There weren’t any.

This thing had no feet and was floating in midair.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Uaaaaaahhh!!”

My scream echoed and bounced around the cave. I tore my hand away from the ghost’s and bolted in the opposite direction.

“Huh? M-my lord!”

“Demon Lord!”

I thought I heard Griffith and Joanna calling, but I couldn’t care less.

I sprinted into a side passage on my left, like a beast gone mad.

And then—

Huh?

To make matters worse, the ground beneath my feet began to crumble.

Come on, really? I’m not Han Hyun-jin, why the hell am I being screwed over like this?

I’m the Demon Lord, damn it!

Squeezing my eyes shut, I pulled out shadows as I fell, wrapping them around me like a giant egg.

A last desperate attempt to survive.

And then—

Boom!

My body slammed into the mine floor, and I blacked out for a moment.

“Hunter Han Hyun-jin. Just because we’ve been indulgent with you, do you think laws and government mean nothing?”

It was a secret underground conference room owned by the National Intelligence Service.

Hyun-jin sat there, looking less like he was being interrogated than lost in his own thoughts.

A frustrated agent slammed a thick file onto the table.

“It’s been a hundred years since the first gate appeared, and humanity has completely conquered them. So what are we supposed to make of this unregistered, unidentified dungeon under the bridge?”

The agent narrowed his eyes.

“The only ones who’ve gone inside are an illegal guild and you. And thanks to your media games, not even the Association—nor we—can enter.”

“……”

“What exactly is that place? Why can’t our technology measure its level? Why are you keeping people out with media stunts?”

Hyun-jin said nothing.

He wasn’t a criminal, so he had no obligation to answer.

If anything, these people should be allies against the power-hungry Association.

The agents grew more agitated.

The interrogator softened his tone, almost pleading.

“Hunter Han Hyun-jin, is it really the Demon Lord’s dungeon? We interrogated the illegal guild—they said it was nothing more than a dungeon with three orcs, a demon lord, and a slime…”

“There is indeed a Demon Lord inside.”

“Are they someone you can’t defeat? The public is uneasy at the news that Korea’s only unaffiliated S-rank hunter cannot close this gate.”

At the mention of the public, Hyun-jin finally spoke.

“Agent.”

“Yes?”

“Do you believe there could be another human world besides Earth?”

“…What did you just say?”

“This world or that, all the rulers are rotting to the core.”

“Hunter Han Hyun-jin! How dare you say such things—”

“What if the boss of that dungeon is the only one who genuinely cares for people? How would that make you feel?”

Hyun-jin’s thoughts wandered, regardless of how offended the agent looked.

He had closed countless dungeons, but he had never encountered a dungeon boss like her.

And that strange pull he felt from her…

Some instinct told him that if he cut her down and closed the dungeon like always, he would regret it deeply.

That hesitation weighed on him.

Meanwhile, the agent noticed something different—this man, who usually looked hollow, like a machine that only closed gates, was… changing.

Could there really be something in that Demon Lord’s dungeon? Something sweet enough to lure him?

“And what did he mean by ‘another human world’…?”

While the agent wrestled with these thoughts, Hyun-jin suddenly stood up.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Where do you think—”

“I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

“Wait, Hunter Han Hyun-jin.”

“Leave that dungeon as it is. I want to keep watching. It’s not like they’ll attack Seoul first.”

“How can you be so sure? If you won’t cooperate, we’ll investigate it ourselves!”

Though he was the one being interrogated, Hyun-jin strode confidently toward the exit. With his hand on the doorknob, he glanced back at the agent.

“Don’t pretend otherwise. I know you’ve been secretly going along with my media plays. I know you’ve been helping keep the Association out of that dungeon.”

“……”

“Thank you, Agent.”

His face was cold, stern as a winter wind, but he had said he was grateful.

The agent let out a dry laugh.

“…Just remember, you’re always being watched. From both sides.”

“This side” meant the President. “That side” meant the Association.

“Everyone knows you sneak in and out of that dungeon every night like a rat. Be careful.”

Was that advice…?

Hyun-jin gave him a glance, then left the interrogation room without hesitation.