Nonhyeon-dong Dungeon Explosion Incident (12)

‘The battle still isn’t over.’

Hyeonju, having arrived at Nonhyeon-dong, tried to take out her phone.

Perhaps knowing she was about to check live news, the sponsor delivered the update first.

‘Thank you. How’s the younger one?’

She then asked about Hyeonseong’s condition as well. By focusing her consciousness on the sponsor, the question was conveyed without speaking. It was one of the special features purchased from the Interstellar Network Market.

‘I wasn’t worried.’

At the sponsor’s message, Hyeonju pressed her temple firmly. That Constellation was fine in most ways, but occasionally threw out teasing remarks like that.

‘Anyway, it means she isn’t hurt.’

She cut off the consciousness link to the Constellation messages.

‘That’s a relief, but…….’

Walking toward the ongoing battle site, Hyeonju frowned.

They said she was safe for now, but it wasn’t a safe situation. Considering she’d made odd requests of the branch staff, she must’ve gone to the front line instead of staying in the rear.

‘Honestly, if you’re giving tactical orders, just stay in the back.’

It was behavior Hyeonju couldn’t understand. Why someone with barely any proper combat skills kept heading to the front.

She decided that if Hyeonseong got hurt, she’d charge one recovery potion per wound, and quickened her pace.

Before long, two massive boss monsters rampaging in the distance came into view. Just like the breaking news had said—they were monsters modeled after the Enemy Knight and Do-ol.

Confirming she’d arrived properly, Hyeonju looked for the Jinri Workshop branch staff. The employees were waiting in the rear with members from various guild tactical teams.

Hyeonju walked straight up to them.

“Is it really okay for us to just stand around like this?”

“Well, there’s not really anything we can do.”

“Ye Hyeonseong is handling all the potion supply anyway…….”

“And the people who were told to treat injuries earlier are already done…….”

As she got closer, she could hear their conversation. The employees were gathered together, watching the battlefield with troubled expressions.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Hyeonju spoke to them.

“Ah, boss?”

“Ms. Ye Hyeonju?”

The employees flinched in surprise at her voice and turned around.

“What brings you all the way here…….”

“I thought it’d be better to see the scene directly than just receive reports. I heard it was quite an unusual case.”

It wasn’t just an excuse. A dungeon that exploded the moment it formed was indeed the first occurrence in Earth’s world.

Constellations sending down additional boss monsters wasn’t unprecedented either, but it certainly wasn’t common.

Part of the reason she came was to witness these rare cases firsthand.

“Was anyone here when the dungeon formed?”

“Um…… boss, I received the generation alert then. I happened to be passing nearby at the time…….”

One employee carefully raised their hand at Hyeonju’s question.

“No need to go far then. You still have the message logs, right?”

“Yes.”

Hyeonju asked the employee to show the Interstellar Network messages from the moment the dungeon appeared. The employee pulled up the records for her to review.

“It really exploded immediately after forming.”

Hyeonju frowned as she checked the messages.

In terms of monsters invading real space, it resembled an erosion-type dungeon. But there was a clear difference.

In erosion-type dungeons, even if facilities were destroyed during the raid, it wasn’t a big issue—most of it restored when the dungeon zone was lifted.

But not this time. The destruction existed in reality and wouldn’t recover on its own.

‘So it’s erosion-type casualties plus facility damage. And since it’s not confined to a dungeon zone, the affected area could expand infinitely if we’re unlucky.’

“When this dungeon opened, what did the Constellations say?”

Hyeonju asked again.

“They said…… ah, right. They said it was time for explosive-type dungeons to open on Earth as well…….”

The employee gestured in the air briefly before answering.

“Then this won’t end as a one-time event.”

The meaning was easy to interpret. Other worlds already had dungeons that exploded upon creation.

And if the time had come, similar ones would keep appearing.

‘Maybe there’s a rule—once people get used to dungeons, powers, otherworlds, and the Interstellar Network, they stir things up and add something new.’

The easiest example was erosion-type dungeons. Nowadays everyone knew about them, but decades ago they didn’t exist.

It wasn’t hard to imagine people’s reactions when a new dungeon that invaded reality first appeared.

‘It must’ve been pure chaos. Earth and dungeons suddenly looked merged into one.’

In that sense, the current scene was fairly orderly. Even while fighting boss monsters, nobody looked panicked or lost.

Probably because, aside from the instant explosion on creation, dungeon explosion incidents themselves were familiar.

‘……Wait, are those two really fighting the Enemy Knight alone, including her?’

Lost in thought while watching the battle, Hyeonju realized something and frowned.

She already knew Hyeonseong was fighting alongside Song Jiwoo. That was the first thing she noticed when she looked.

But she hadn’t thought they’d actually take on an S-rank monster alone.

No matter how strong Song Jiwoo was, challenging a boss with only a porter and no support team was reckless. Anyone with basic common sense wouldn’t try it.

Yet the two of them were doing exactly that.

‘They’re not stupid enough to miss that. ……So do they really have a way to kill it without support?’

If they’d calculated they could do it despite appearances, there was no problem.

‘But what reasoning led to that conclusion?’

The first condition was easy to spot—the monster species.

Both monsters the Awakened were fighting were synthetic beasts. Copies made from originals, so they’d usually be weaker.

Not every synthetic was weaker than the original, but those based on legendary or mythical beings usually were.

‘To keep an artificial body stable long-term, they usually omit some legendary traits or lower ability levels.’

Recalling information once heard from a sponsor, Hyeonju watched Hyeonseong and Song Jiwoo’s fight.

If she kept watching, she’d understand why they attempted something so absurd.

Chaeng

Chaeng—

As expected, the frontal clash with the Enemy Knight was Song Jiwoo’s role. She swung her sword without faltering even against the larger giant.

‘Ares really is consistent.’

She glanced through the constantly updating Constellation chatter since arriving.

Finding nothing meaningful, she focused back on the fight.

“Is it okay to leave your sister like that?”

One employee cautiously asked.

“If she thought she couldn’t handle it, she wouldn’t be doing it.”

She half agreed, but answered calmly. It wasn’t a lie.

‘The youngest said the same—she only goes forward when she has to, or when she can.’

“But even then…… what she’s doing doesn’t look like something that requires going up there. At least to me.”

As the employee said, Hyeonseong was mostly blocking attacks with Infinite Corridor or throwing potions. She could’ve done that from the rear given its range.

She held a pickaxe, but didn’t attack with it—though she sometimes tried before stopping.

‘Looks like she’s waiting for a timing to land a meaningful hit.’

At that moment, Hyeonseong deflected the Enemy Knight’s sword again.

Kwa-jik!

Song Jiwoo’s strike shattered part of the armor. Fragments broke off near the waist.

“One more!”

Hyeonseong shouted and deployed Infinite Corridor again. The falling blade aiming for their heads was blocked by the spatial wall.

In that gap, Song Jiwoo drove her blade into the widened gap in the armor.

She withdrew the sword—and blood spurted from the cut.

“Ah……!”

The staff gasped.

“That’s the first time we’ve inflicted a status ailment head-on, right?”

“I think earlier a very weak one grazed it briefly once or twice…….”

“But a confirmed status ailment is the first.”

The rear atmosphere lightened slightly.

Teong—

The Enemy Knight swung again. Perhaps angered by the wound, it attacked with full force—but was blocked by Infinite Corridor once more.

‘She really is good at blocking.’

Hyeonju thought as the corridor closed instantly.

It wasn’t just the Enemy Knight. Hyeonseong also interrupted Do-ol’s attacks and charges at needed timings.

Just now too. The vanished corridor appeared before Do-ol’s charge.

The massive body slammed into the spatial wall and staggered backward.

Krk……!

‘That cry sounded strange.’

Hyeonju narrowed her eyes.

Though noncombat, an S-rank’s senses were sharp. If it felt odd, it likely was.

‘It sounded like a cry of pain.’

“Hey! Do-ol hunting teams!”

Hyeonseong shouted into the megaphone.

“Prepare to finish that thing!”

‘Finish it?’

Hyeonju checked Do-ol’s info through the system.

A critical debuff had appeared.

‘Right after the failed charge.’

The earlier odd cry came back to mind.

The collision must’ve dealt heavy impact.

‘The Constellations kept reviving monsters with Super Regeneration buffs. If repeated…….’

Even artificial beings couldn’t endure infinite forced recovery. Especially at that size.

‘Did she know it was nearing its limit—or just luck?’

Hyeonju narrowed her eyes watching Hyeonseong urge people on.

‘…Either way, it doesn’t matter.’

Calculated or lucky—only using the result mattered.

“Go!”

After finishing attack-position and skill instructions, Hyeonseong shouted.

At that moment, a blinding flash exploded before Hyeonju’s eyes.

Kweaaang——!