Chapter 48 – Dungeon Break (2)
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Woo-soonghoon didn’t drive his car straight to Daegoo. Woojin was taken to Seoul’s Roused Management Bureau. The building next to the Management Bureau was the headquarters for the Special Defense Brigade. They were a branch of the Ministry of National Defense.
When Soonghoon stopped his car in front of the headquarters, a soldier was waiting in the front for them.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Lieutenant Che-haesol of the Special Defense Brigade”
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Kang-woojin.”
After greeting Woojin, Che-haesol looked towards Woo-soonghoon.
“I will be the one guiding you now. Your companion may return.”
“Go.”
“Yes, president.”
Woojin followed after Che-haesol, and he was guided into the headquarters. The Special Defense Brigade was an army unit, but they didn’t seem too stiff. The passerbys wore military uniforms, but it felt like he had stepped into a normal company.
“So, do I have to go greet the general?”
“No. After handling several administrative businesses, we will leave immediately. We don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll brief you on the go.”
“Sure. Whatever.”
Woojin was led by Lieutenant Che-haesol, and he had to take several tests. They checked his eyesight, and his blood was drawn.
Woojin had to make several demonstrations of his abilities, and he also gave descriptions of his abilities.
Haesol smiled as she spoke to Woojin.
“Mr. Woojin is quite unusual.”
“In what way?”
“Normally, Roused don’t like their blood drawn. They also avoid talking about their own abilities.”
“Is that so? Wouldn’t you have to know what my abilities are to make plans for the joint operation?”
Wasn’t it a standard procedure to find out the allied force’s power?
Haesol laughed.
“I would like it if all Roused thought like Mr. Woojin..”
If the Roused cooperated without a fuss, then how great would it be? The army had a very difficult time handling the existences called the Roused.
“All right. We’ll be moving now. I will also guide you to Daegoo.”
“Ok.”
Woojin tilted his head in confusion when he saw the offical vehicle on standby inside the parking lot.
“Are we going by car?”
“Yes. We mobilize by car.”
“Isn’t there going to be a Dungeon Break? Aren’t we in a hurry?”
Woojin thought he would be riding a helicopter. However, he was going by car, so he couldn’t help but wonder. Haesol laughed as she opened the door to the back seat.
“To be precise, the Dungeon Break will happen 2 in the afternoon. I’ll give you the details when we are on the move.”
“Sure.”
Woojin took his seat and Lieutenant Che-haesol sat next to him.
“Let’s depart.”
When the driver started up the car, Che-haesol started explaining the operation.
“All the locals have been evacuated 2 days ago. The inspection for the last stragglers will end today. The Break will happen tomorrow at 2:11 pm. The most common monster that will appear are goblins, and trolls. Moreover, a few ogres will show up.”
“Uh? You already know what will show up?”
“Of course. The 6 star Dungeon’s Break happens when the attempt at clearing a Dungeon fails.”
Woojin understood what had happened.
During a Dungeon raid, the Roused used the Return Portal to escape the Dungeon once they realized the Dungeon was beyond their power. When they escaped, they brought back information about what’s in the Dungeon.
“If it is happening tomorrow afternoon, we still have time left. Why aren’t we trying to clear it again?”
“What?”
Che-haesol was taken aback by Woojin’s question. She couldn’t help, but be puzzled when he asked a question about something that should be common sense.
“A return portal can be used 3 times to escape a Dungeon. On the 4th use, the portal itself won’t open.”
“So?”
“Yes. Hwarang’s Vermillion team failed the Dungeon’s first raid. On the second run, Hwarang and KH combined to make a team, but they also failed.”
On the 3rd try, we asked for cooperation from the Rank A Roused in Korea, but we failed in forming a team. We used a foreign Roused organization to form a team to challenge the Dungeon, but they also failed. It is impossible to make another attempt now.”
“Hmmm.”
“Moreover, all three teams failed at the entrance of the Dungeon.”
“…?”
The portal can be made to escape the Dungeon, and one had to use the same Dungeon portal to re-enter it. It was a type of save point.
They were able to step in at where the last team left. However, all three team had failed. It meant the difficulty of this Dungeon was unimaginable.
“If it is that difficult, then wouldn’t it be very dangerous?”
Haesol nodded her head in a solemn manner.
“Doesn’t the terrain have a huge influence on the difficulty of the Dungeon? This Dungeon was also largely affected by the terrain.”
“Do you have any detailed information on the Dungeon?”
“What? The Dungeon will Break soon…”
The Dungeon Break will happen.
The battlefield will switch from inside the Dungeon to the outside. If the Dungeon was the monster’s home field, then the land outside the Dungeon was the earthling’s home field. They would receive help from modern technology that couldn’t be used inside the Dungeon. The humans held a large advantage outside in defeating the monsters.
In the beginning, humans hadn’t been prepared for the Dungeon Break. However, there were almost no civilian casualties now. Still, the property damage was immense…
“The ogres are a problematic since they have high resistance. Still, a 12.7mm NATO ammo works on them.”
“Then why did you call me?”
“What? I’m not really sure…”
“When will we arrive there?”
“We’ll arrive around 7. You can have some dinner then you can rest at the hotel. We’ll move to the area of operation at 10 in the morning tomorrow.”
Woojin rubbed his chin. If it’s ogres, it might be worth trying…
“Are the information about the Dungeon a secret?”
“Mmm. It’s not. Information about Dungeons are usually released to everyone on principle.”
Even if the bloodstone companies are deeply involved with wanting to clear the Dungeons, foremost, it was a work done to protect cities, and nations. Monopolizing of information happened, but it was extremely rare.
“Can you find some for me?”
“Mmmm. All right.”
Lieutenant Che-haesol called somewhere, then she answered Woojin
“You’ll be able to read it immediately when we arrive there.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Woojin looked out the window for awhile. Then he leaned his seat back, and he closed his eyes. It was a luxury car, so it was very comfortable. Moreover, the driver drove the car very smoothly.
When Woojin crossed his arms and closed his eyes, Lieutenent Che-haesol didn’t speak to him any further.
*
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
Woojin’s eyes opened almost at the same time as when the car stopped. He looked outside the window, and he saw a very subdued and quiet city. It reminded him of a ghost city.
“Where are we?”
“We are in front of the command and control center.”
Woojin glanced up, and he saw a sign for a specialty coffee shop.
“After we meet the commander, we’ll go to the hotel?”
“Yes, sir. There are other Roused dispatched here. Would you like to greet them??”
“I’ll do that. Where is the data?”
“Ah. It’ll be delivered here soon.”
“If you are going to give it me, please print it out.”
“Yes. We’ll do so.”
Woojin entered the cafe, and the 50th divisional commander was waiting for him. It seemed he was notified Woojin was coming. The divisional commander requested a handshake.
“I’m the 50th divisional commander. I’m manager Lee-joonae.” (TLN: he’s speaking in a dialect)
“My name is Kang-woojin.”
When Woojin copied Lee-joontae’s accent, his eyebrows twitched.
“I’m reassured by the fact you came here. After you hear my brief overview of the operation, you can go greet the other Roused.”
“Understood.”
Contrary to manager Lee-joontae’s words, his faced indicated that he wasn’t too thrilled with the other allies joining up with his troops.
The divisional commander left since he showed his face to Woojin, and the other Roused scattered around the cafe caught Woojin’s eyes.
“I am the Operation command assistant, Major Kim-joonyong. I’ll be explaining our operation.”
Kim-joonyong started explaining about how they will clear the monsters tomorrow. They will set a line centered around the Joonjuk station, and they’ll lay down a concentrated fire when the monsters come out. Then they’ll fortify the 2nd and 3rd lines.
The air force planes will deal with the flying monsters, and they will also lay down support fire. All the civilians had been given eviction orders, and they had all been evacuated.
After the 1st barricade was destroyed, the Roused was in charge of blocking the monster from reaching the 2nd line. When the 2nd line was breached, the Roused had the autonomy to hunt the monsters by themselves.
“We’ve read the Dungeon Energy, and I think we will be able to protect the 2nd line. However, we don’t have any information on the final monster, so please be ready for the a variable.”
The Dungeon raid finished in the early stages, so they didn’t have any information on the final monsters.
“A more detailed instructions will be delivered tomorrow at 10 am.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Then please go greet the other Roused..
When Woojin turned his head, he saw every Roused staring at him. If one discounted the military and guild association, the total number of Roused participating in this operation was 480.
Amongst them, there were 30 Roused who were at least Rank B.
An upwards of 20 people that were part of that group was inside the cafe. The rest were resting in the hotel.
Korea’s 11th Rank A Roused.
There were a lot of people curious about Kang-woojin.
Moreover, there was also an acquaintance there.
A bobbed-haired beauty walked towards Woojin.
“Glad to see you.”
“All right.”
“We’ve seen each other before.”
“Where?”
“Seoul National University’s 6th exit.”
“…?”
Woojin expression indicated she was talking nonsense, so the bobbed-haired beauty introduced herself while frowning.
“I’m the team leader of Hwarang guild’s Vermillion team. My name is Lee-yunhwee.”
Surprisingly, Lee-yunhwee was the Roused representative of the Hwarang guild. She would be participating in the operation.
“Ok. Nice to see you.”
After a brief greeting, Woojin received the bundle of documents brought to him just in time by Haesol. A rough map of the Dungeon, information on the monsters that showed up, and a detailed information of the Dungeon was spelled out in the documents.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. If you need anything else, please talk to me. Your hotel room number is 502.”
After receiving the key, Woojin skimmed over the bundle of documents. Then he rolled it up, and he stabbed it into his pocket.
‘It’s worth a shot.’
Woojin left the cafe. Lee-yunhwee, who had been by his side, clenched her fists as it trembled in anger.
“Did he just ignore me?”
When Lee-yunhwee started to shake, the members of the Vermillion team quickly came over to calm her down.
“Please calm down.”
“Kids these days lack self-awareness. He probably thinks he is the best since he is a Rank A Roused.”
“Hehe. Team leader should be patient. His high nose won’t last long.”
Lee-yunhwee fanned her red face.
“Ho-ooh.”
She took out her phone to find her oppa’s number, then she pressed the call button.
[Hello?]
“Why did you call him here?”
[Who are you talking about?]
“The fucker who stole the Dungeon last time.”
[Huh huh. Mr. Kang-woojin? I want you to observe him. Moreover, I want you to build up some goodwill with him. I purposefully brought him in to participate in this operation.]
“What if I don’t want to be friendly with him?”
[Ah. Why are you being like this again? Just observe him closely. Try to see what ability he uses, and how well he controls his power. See if he has any unusual habits.]
“Hooo. Why didn’t you assign this to someone else?“
Hwarang’s guild master Lee-sahngho spoke after he cleared his throat.
[I’m not asking you as your oppa. I am ordering you as the Hwarang’s guild master. Gather as much information on the Roused Kang-woojin.]
Lee-yunhwee’s brow furrowed when she heard his serious voice.
“I’m quitting the guild. Keep up the good work, bitch of an oppa. You always make me do the annoying assignments.”
[Uh uh? Why are you being like this again, Yunhwee? Oppa is….]
Ddoo-ooh.
She ended the call in a temper. Lee-yunhwee exited the cafe’s entrance with a frown on her face.
“Uh? Where did he go?”
Lee-yunhwee couldn’t locate Kang-woojin, so she asked a soldier near her.
“Where did Mr. Kang-woojin go?”
“He said he wants to look around the site, so he went there.”
Wasn’t the Dungeon going to break loose tomorrow anyways? Why would he want to go there?
“Do you mind if I use one of your vehicles??”
“What? Yes, sir. We’ll prepare one soon.”
Lee-yunhwee got on the military owned vehicle in front of the hotel, then she headed towards Jookjun station’s 3rd exit. There weren’t any cars on the road, and she drove by tanks from time to time.
When she got closer to the subway station, she saw barricades, tanks, and machine guns placed in buildings. When she arrived at the first line, it was filled with soldiers on-guard.
After exiting the vehicle at the 1st line of defense, Lee-hyunhwee walked towards the problematic subway station, which was 4 blocks away. The surrounding high-rise buildings had been demolished for a better line of sight. However, they hadn’t cleared the debris, so the surrounding was cluttered with debris.
The Dungeon entrance had been protected from the effects of the explosions, and Kang-woojin was standing in front of a strangely colored portal.
“Hey.”
“What?”
Lee-yunhwee face crumpled at Kang-woojin’s answer. She always heard from others she was rude, but it felt weird meeting someone who was more rude than her.
“Why did you come here?”
“Why would I come to a Dungeon? I’m here to clear it.”
Yunhwee was surprised by Woojin’s words.
“You are mad.”
Woojin laughed.
He wasn’t crazy. This place had a lot of EXP and Achievement Points. It was crazy to make the 3 battle lines outside, and it would be crazy for him to share the monsters with the soldiers and the Roused.
Lee-yunhwee realized Woojin wasn’t making a joke with his laughter. She approached him.
“A..are you crazy? What can you do by yourself? If you go in, you won’t be able to use the portal again.”
He wasn’t going to use it. He won’t use the portal to exit the Dungeon. He’ll break through the barrier using the the Return Stone.
“Hey. Hey. Try thinking logically. Even if the monsters pop out, we can kill all of them if we work with the soldiers. So why do this? Are you thinking about making a noble sacrifice for your line? Hey, wake up. No one will care what you did if you die.”
What nonsense. He wasn’t making a sacrifice for his line. (TLN: family line)
The monsters will be sacrificed for his benefit.
Lee-yunwee was surprised when Woojin took a step forward.
“Are you really crazy? You’ll die if you go in!”
“Ah. You are being really noisy.”
Woojin tilted his head as he looked at Lee-hyunhwee’s ghastly face.
“A small fry will always live like a small fry.”
Woojin took another step, and he was swallowed up by the Portal.
The portal emitted a loud light as it pulsed.
The portal will disappear in 30 seconds.
“Wa-ah. You crazy son of a bitch!”
Lee-yunhwee suddenly screamed out loud.
“Wa. Bat shit crazy bastard. That completely psycho bitch.”
She had only met him for couple of minutes, but he made a very strong impression on her. This was the first time she had met someone like him. Moreover, his sneer at the end filled the inside of Lee-yunhwee’s head.
Think logically Lee-yunhwee. Don’t be impulsive right now.
“That crazy son of a bitch. Ah ah. That bitch should really be killed with a bullet to the head.”
Portal will disappear. 5 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds.
“That crazy son of a bitch.”
Lee-yunhwee threw her body towards the portal.