Episode 221 Amsa Station (3)
* * *
The first meeting with Sword Saint Jung Hee-sun ended just like that.
An encounter with a "Named" character.
Whether in a good or bad sense, the meeting, which had been intended to leave a strong impression, ended leaving only a lingering sense of unease. What
Sang-hyun felt toward Jung Hee-sun was wariness. A wariness that tried to pretend wasn't there, but that made it all the more obvious.
'Maybe I had too many illusions?'
Sang-hyun shook his head and tried to shake off his memories of Jung Hee-sun.
It wasn't that he wanted to become friends with her, nor was there any reason for him to be acknowledged.
However, he was certain that she would become someone he would be concerned about, whether on the same side or as an enemy.
After Jung Hee-sun had sufficiently distanced herself,
Jo Jin-ho smiled and said,
"She's a player who lives for her own self-importance. Don't worry about her. She's a typical opportunist."
Shin Tae-ri added,
"It’s not like Ms. Kang Bo-ah, who was close with her in the early days, cut ties with her for no reason. She is someone who has no trust."
I wished that Shin Tae-ri’s words would reach Jung Hee-sun’s ears clearly.
On the other hand, I also wondered what on earth it was about Jung Hee-sun that had captivated her henchman, Jung Yun-hak.
There must surely be a reason that made him pledge his loyalty… Is he truly sincere and uncompromising only toward his own people?
In any case, it did not seem like my encounters with Jung Hee-sun would end today.
As I distinguished myself in swordsmanship, she was someone I was bound to face more often.
The inquiry continued.
The topic of conversation naturally led to questions about Sang-hyun’s whereabouts, as he had not been in Korea for some time.
Sang-hyun told them about what had happened in the United States. There was no reason to hide it.
Of course, he told them without mentioning which dungeon he had visited or who he had met.
Even so, the two seemed full of curiosity simply because he had visited the United States, a place they themselves had not yet been to.
It was unexpected. To think that
he had never been to the United States with Jo Jin-ho and Shin Tae-ri, who were classified as the highest ranks of the Eden Guild.
When I asked for the reason, he said that he simply had no capacity to travel overseas because there was too much work within the guild.
To be precise, while guild duties are a factor, it is overwhelming just to visit the dungeons related to the Eden Guild.
It meant there were many places to go, and hearing that, I understood.
The advantage of a guild is good accessibility to dungeons.
For a large guild like the Eden Guild, not being able to access dungeons wouldn't be a problem.
* * *
Before I knew it, the rift exploration had entered its fourth hour.
It wasn't that I hadn't considered the waiting, but the endless fruitless runs were frustrating.
If I had gone alone, I wouldn't have cared how long it took and would have just wandered around diligently.
Knowing that Jo Jin-ho and Shin Tae-ri were working hard, even using their vacation time, my guilt was even greater.
As Sang-hyun let out a deep sigh without realizing it, Shin Tae-ri, who was beside him, shook her head with a faint smile.
“Don’t feel pressured. I actually like these treasure hunts. I tend to come back empty-handed a lot, though.”
She continued to operate the device with eyes a hundred times brighter than Sang-hyun's.
At that, Jo Jin-ho, who was standing beside her, kept nodding silently while looking at Sang-hyun from behind Shin Tae-ri.
It meant that he truly believed it. It was a way of saying not to misunderstand, as it wasn't just empty flattery.
That made her feel even more grateful, but she wished they would find him quickly if possible.
On the other hand, she also had a thought.
What if the rift wasn't forming because of the altered future she had created during her regression?
If that were the case, she might actually be happy.
At least the Association's players wouldn't meet a senseless death.
However, given the current situation where they hadn't yet surveyed the entire area around Amsa Station, she couldn't make a prediction.
But right then.
“Huh?”
Shin Tae-ri looked surprised.
The device was reacting.
The screen, which had been flashing a green signal indicating a safe state, had turned orange.
It didn't mean a rift had been discovered.
However, since it meant a subtle but uneven waveform had been detected, the possibility of a rift was high.
“It’s west. Set your direction.”
Jo Jin-ho read the waveform.
I had assumed he didn't know how to interpret the device since he hadn't said anything, but he appeared to have analyzed it faster than Shin Tae-ri.
“There really is something there.”
Sang-hyun’s eyes sparkled.
The memory wasn’t wrong, and the reality contained within it seemed to remain unchanged.
At that, the gazes of the two people, who had been momentarily distracted by focusing on the meaning of the signal, turned toward Sang-hyun.
“So there really was a rift.”
“It gives me goosebumps to call it just a hunch. Actually… I just came out to chat half-heartedly.”
“I can’t believe you perceived a subtle change as something strange.”
Unaware of the source of Sang-hyun’s information and conviction, the two looked at him with curious expressions.
At the same time, they seemed to be sighing with relief.
This was because the rift had not yet opened. In other words, there was still time to prevent the disaster and rectify the situation.
Sang-hyun asked,
“The Eden Guild is currently clearing all the dungeons around here, right? Then there couldn't possibly be any incomplete waveforms…”
What he meant was that the problem wasn't with the dungeons they were already clearing.
In other words, it meant there were dungeons whose very existence even the Eden Guild was unaware of.
I am talking about dungeons that are neglected yet simultaneously function as Break Spot dungeons.
Rifts are broadly divided into two types.
The first is a rift that appears suddenly without any warning signs.
A prime example is the Bupyeong Station Rift, a type that Sang-hyun had previously cleared after waiting for it to appear.
The second type is a rift that forms by feeding on a 'foundation' dungeon known as a Break Spot.
It was the Break Spot at the Dotonbori River that Sang-hyun had visited earlier. It was the starting point of the Great Shinjuku Rift.
The rift Sang-hyun and his party had just discovered was of the second type.
Therefore, if they properly targeted and stabilized the Break Spot, the Dark Station Rift would not occur.
The search continued.
Because the scale of the waveform was weak, the signal would cut off if Shin-taeri, holding the device, moved even slightly roughly.
However, the three of them eventually succeeded in locating the Break Spot.
“It certainly seemed like we wouldn’t be able to find it,”
Sang-hyun said, scratching the back of his head as they arrived at the spot where the dungeon was expected to exist.
Sang-hyun and his party had descended into the basement of an unfinished abandoned building.
It was an apartment complex that had completed its foundation work and been built up to the fifth floor, but construction was halted after the contractor went bankrupt.
It appeared to have been left abandoned as the sales frenzy subsided due to the worsening real estate market, and no successor construction company appeared to continue the work.
Perhaps because of this, the area around the apartment had turned into a complete garbage dump, and there were quite a few carcasses of stray dogs.
On top of that, there were countless unidentified disposable syringes and even intentionally discarded waste…
It is no wonder that even those who might have considered coming this way turned back.
The very idea that a dungeon might exist in such a place was impossible from the start.
"Are you sure? The two of us have experienced extreme situations so many times that we don't mind this level of filth."
Just then, Jo Jin-ho spoke, looking at the water pooled in the basement to knee-deep.
If it were just water, it wouldn't be a concern, but it was clearly water with filth floating on top.
Not to mention the stench, it was full of floating debris that was enough to make one nauseous.
"It’s fine. However, I think we can find an easier way. Just a moment."
『Defensive Sword』
The deployment of Defensive.
Defensive, which can be cast on up to five people including oneself, is used as a defensive skill.
However, in this case, it could also be used to protect the entire body in the form of a thin membrane.
In other words, as long as the shield is maintained, the filth in the basement does not come into direct contact with the body.
If this were a battlefield, the barrier would have vanished in an instant, rendering this arrangement meaningless.
However, now that they can move safely, Defensive serves as the best shield of all.
“We don’t need separate protective gear.”
“I took it for granted that since you are a swordsman, you wouldn’t be able to use a skill like this.”
Jo Jin-ho and Shin Tae-ri gave Sang-hyun a thumbs-up.
When you are bound by the shackles of common sense, you keep forgetting one thing: that common sense does not apply to Sang-hyun.
In any case, thanks to this, they were able to enter deep into the basement without contaminating their skin or clothes.
Since they had to go into a space within the basement that was practically a warehouse, it seemed only natural that they hadn't found it.
It also appeared to be recent.
Otherwise, construction workers would have discovered it and reported it in the past.
“Shall we go straight in?”
At Sang-hyun’s question, the two nodded. It was something that had been discussed from the beginning.
Although this kind of break spot serves to suppress the rift from bursting immediately.
Looking at it from another perspective, it also functions as a fuse that could trigger a rift at any moment.
In other words, it would not be surprising at all if a rift were to occur at this very moment.
Therefore, if you had decided to enter, it was best to hurry in, even if it meant missing a second.
This is because if a player is inside the break spot, the rift will not occur at that point, at least.
The rift only occurs when it reaches a critical point while left unattended and empty inside.
'Your eyes look different.'
Sang-hyun flinched as he noticed the eyes of Shin Tae-ri and Jo Jin-ho sparkling more than before.
His gaze likely reflected a sense of anticipation for the dungeon they were entering together for the first time.
Meanwhile, Sang-hyun was also looking forward to it.
Just how would the combat skills of these two, who proudly held the highest ranks of the Eden Guild, compare?
He was particularly curious about the abilities of Jo Jin-ho, who shared the common trait of wielding a sword.
Unlike himself, Jo Jin-ho was a swordsman player specialized in defense.
If he carefully observed his abilities and how to utilize them, there would be much to learn.
Upon entering the dungeon, the three were greeted by a bleak, biting wind and a quiet surrounding.
Usually, dungeons are often swarming with monsters right from the entrance.
Even if the numbers are small, there are always at least some monsters present to make it clear that this is a dungeon.
But this place was different. As if
by nature were different, not a single monster was to be seen, and there wasn't a single sound of noise.
Instead, there was a landscape that felt distinctly alien.
“No matter how I look at it, this feels like a city. It would be a perfect fit to describe it as a near-future city straight out of a movie.”
Sang-hyun pointed the tip of his sword forward. At that, Shin Tae-ri and Jo Jin-ho also nodded.
Indeed, just as Sang-hyun had said, it felt like looking into the future, about 30 to 40 years ahead.
The problem was that there were absolutely no signs of life in this city.
The soaring skyscrapers were entirely bathed in green, a feast of endlessly climbing vines.
If there was just one distinguishing feature…
“I don’t have a very good feeling about this.”
Sang-hyun turned around and pointed again to the top of the steel tower, noting that there were three unidentified creatures there.
It was the only trace of life in this dungeon, but at the same time, it also seemed like the presence of an ominous enemy.
“Get ready,”
Sang-hyun said curtly.
It looked like they were about to face troublesome guys right from the start.
