Snap!
Esther seized Haseong's sleeve and forcibly stopped him, then hurriedly began to explain.
"First of all, I only heard about this on my way here, but the Hunter Association has already submitted a request to Imabari in Japan. They're asking for an S-rank dispatch."
"I see."
"To be honest, we don't know whether they'll actually come, but at least the Association has made the first move."
The violet-haired Cursed Sorcerer recalled the promise the Japanese had made in the past. They had publicly declared on television that if an S-rank gate ever appeared in Korea, the Imabari Guild would send its top-tier awakened ones free of charge.
"Additionally, they've begun negotiations with Singapore for support from awakened healers and buffers."
"Yes."
"We won't gain anything by rushing..."
"Hunter Seo!"
"Oh! Perfect timing. They're here."
At that moment, a long-haired figure came running breathlessly toward the gate. It was a government official—and an awakened one with B-rank mana.
"Seonwoo Yeon-ssi! Over here. Here!"
The Searcher had arrived.
"Okay. Now that everyone's here, let's get things organized."
"..."
"Haseong-ssi, our goal for now isn't to clear the dungeon, but to scout it."
"Yes."
"Our priority is to assess the monster population and the dungeon structure. If possible, we'll also hunt any A-rank monsters we encounter to prevent a break."
"Understood."
"And the tracking will be centered around Neo's Team 3."
At the sorcerer's words, Jung Haseong raised an eyebrow, then narrowed his eyes as though resigning himself to something.
"We need to find the stranded people with the lowest chances of surviving without help first. It's an unavoidable part of the plan."
"I understand."
Clank.
Soon, the harsh ring of sharp metal cut through the air.
"Then let's hurry with the rescue."
Korea's S-rank hunters went over several more details of the rescue plan. Unlike the Kagoshima raid, this dungeon covered a very confined area. Realistically, there was no way to completely contain the effects of the S-ranks' attacks, which meant bringing a large group inside would be difficult... but...
"You don't need to worry about collateral damage."
At that moment, the young hero wielding the Sunset Sword spoke up. He openly explained the results of his training: he was no longer recklessly injuring his allies. Thanks to that progress, he was now capable of coordinating with other S-ranks.
"If an all-out chaotic battle breaks out, that would be another story. But simply using my skill no longer causes burns."
"Oh."
"Besides, Hunter Esther doesn't engage enemies at close range either... Yes. It's definitely possible."
Jung Haseong's unwavering attitude made his former self-deprecation seem almost meaningless.
"Trust me and take off your fire-resistance items."
He was suggesting that they maximize their hunting speed by replacing defensive equipment with gear that enhanced elemental attack power. At that, Esther's lips curved into a faint, amused smile.
"You're so dependable."
But the hero's request didn't end there.
"Hunter Esther. There's no need for you to worry about collateral damage from your side either."
"What did you say?"
"If the situation becomes difficult, could you please use your awakening ability to subdue the enemies as quickly as possible?"
Jung Haseong's expression gradually settled into a familiar form.
An A-rank awakened team had gone missing.
An abnormal mutation had caused an S-rank gate to appear.
...And now, a certain blond man was holding back the collapse at the cost of his own life.
Faced with this dangerous disaster, the Korean Pyromancer quickly returned to his usual state—a machine of cold composure, as though every piece of him had been forged from iron and locked firmly into place.
He was the hunter with the highest number of gate clears.
The so-called "Dungeon-Running Machine."
A title he had more than earned.
"I've trained, and my stamina has increased considerably. No matter what curse you use, I can definitely withstand it once, so please act accordingly."
The hero's attitude in front of the gate went beyond ordinary composure and bordered on madness. Watching him, Esther nodded, partly understanding the anxiety and perfectionism driving him.
And besides, the desire to save lives even at the cost of one's own flesh was something she could understand all too well.
"Alright. Don't regret it later, and don't complain."
Finally, after checking the condition of their recovery potions, their preparations were complete.
The rescue team—Jung Haseong, Seo Esther, and their support, Seonwoo Yeon—stepped into the otherworldly passage, from which an eerie wind howled.
***
The dungeon they entered would later come to be known as the [Six-Legged Corridor], Korea's first S-rank gate.
It had originally been an A-rank dungeon called the [Rotating Heaven Labyrinth], but the mutation had already transformed its interior.
"The path has corners. It's completely different from the Rotating Heaven Labyrinth, which was circular like a spinning disc."
Still, the structure itself was simple enough that it didn't feel particularly unfamiliar.
Swoosh.
Then Seonwoo Yeon activated her skill, [Searcher].
The black-haired civil servant focused her entire mind, recalling the characteristics of the person she was trying to find.
"..."
Suddenly, Seonwoo Yeon raised her head and pointed deeper into the dungeon.
Immediately afterward, a nearly screaming shout burst from the Association employee's mouth.
"I found him! Hunter Ahn Yoonseung is alive. He's about 600 meters from here, and he's still moving."
[Searcher] had activated successfully!
At the good news, Esther quietly cheered inwardly. They couldn't expect to be full from the very first bite, but still—at least the person they were trying to rescue was alive.
"Moreover, if a defensive Hunter is still alive, the chances that the rest of the team survived are high. Hunter Ahn Yoonseung is someone who always stays true to his duties!"
The conversation ended there.
The awakened rescue team wasted no time and immediately got to work.
It seemed the words of a certain S-rank, who had said he would clear the way for them, hadn't been empty boasting. Indeed, there were surprisingly few obstacles inside the dungeon.
"Even the monsters we occasionally encounter are only A-rank at most..."
It happened then.
Jung Haseong, who possessed the sharpest hearing among them, abruptly stopped walking.
Without saying a word, he raised a clenched fist with the back of his hand facing them.
Stop.
Then he pointed with his index finger before extending two fingers in a V and bending them once.
"— There's one monster over there."
A warning conveyed through standard hunter hand signals.
"If Hunter Jung Haseong went out of his way to warn us beforehand, then an S-rank monster must have appeared..."
Slowly.
Understanding his meaning, Seonwoo Yeon held her breath and put some distance between herself and the two people ahead of her.
Yet only a few seconds later, a wave of fear swept through the black-haired weakling so violently that every muscle in her body began to tremble.
— Purrrrr...
A strange cry reached them.
It belonged to an ordinary S-rank monster that had appeared inside this abnormally mutated gate—a reptile roughly 120cm long, with an exceptionally sleek silhouette unlike the dragons that had appeared in the Japanese archipelago.
In truth, it was a considerably weaker creature than the Black Dragon.
Slippy.
The creature clung upside down to the dungeon wall and extended its purple tongue, licking its own eyeball as though wiping a pane of glass clean for a better view.
"It has six legs."
Aside from having a few extra limbs, the beast looked remarkably similar to the large armored lizards found on Earth.
The Pyromancer and the Cursed Sorcerer exchanged glances.
According to the plan they had agreed upon before entering the dungeon, they were supposed to avoid direct combat with S-rank monsters whenever possible.
But this time, they had no choice.
If they had been lucky, the lizard might have wandered down another passage and allowed them to slip by safely. Instead, the S-rank monster had apparently changed its mind and positioned itself directly in their path.
Therefore...
Nod.
At Esther's signal, Jung Haseong immediately launched a surprise attack.
A spear of fire materialized in midair.
He concentrated his magic power into narrow lines to keep the heat from spilling outward, and blue spears of flame rained down upon the lizard like a torrential downpour.
Perhaps sensing the approaching danger, the S-rank monster recognized the magic the instant it manifested.
But sharp instincts alone weren't enough to evade every flaming spear.
"Kaaaaggh!"
Just as Jung Haseong had intended, the attack damaged the monster's right legs.
And the moment the Pyromancer deprived the enemy of its mobility, Seo Esther immediately followed with a barrage of curses.
Sizzle.
With the agonizing hiss of flesh searing, the two hunters began hunting the beast in perfect coordination.
As they unleashed their awakened abilities and continued their first battle against the S-rank monster,
Click.
From somewhere deep within the dungeon came the sound of a lever being pulled.
.
.
.
It's done!
It's done!
As expected, I'm truly a genius who only comes around once in a thousand years!
The short limbs of a small animal wrapped themselves around the thick lever in front of me, dragging it downward with the weight of its entire body.
Click!
At the sound, one of the ominous traps installed throughout the dungeon lost its form and collapsed.
Meanwhile, I had been steadily advancing toward my objective by using the corpse of an A-rank monster I'd personally defeated.
"Kekekeke."
To be precise, I had shut down the consciousness of my incapacitated body (Kim Giryeo) and was now remotely controlling a fresh corpse as a temporary golem.
The amphibious body I'd obtained had rather short limbs, but it was still capable of performing a surprising number of tasks.
As demonstrated just now, it could manipulate the dungeon's mechanisms and disable traps.
All that remained was to complete the final task with this dead body.
"There it is."
As my low vantage point shifted, the monster I had been looking for finally came into view.
It was a medium-to-large reptile whose entire body was covered in sand-colored scales.
This was the dungeon's S-rank boss monster—and currently the greatest threat to Ahn Yoonseung's nearby team.
I knew because I had been keeping a close eye on it ever since entering the dungeon.
The monster had picked up the human scent left behind by Yoonseung's team and had been relentlessly pursuing them ever since.
"This body has rather short limbs, but I do like how many of them it has."
Sluggishly.
I diligently worked the legs of the amphibian corpse I'd found and taken over.
"Come to think of it, humans really don't have enough arms, do they? Four would've been perfect. Then you could hold open a paper book with two hands while brushing your teeth... Well, anyway."
Once I reached the proper distance, I began the operation I'd planned.
"Hey! Stonehead!"
Jump!
I sprang upward with all my strength and slammed my body into the side of the S-rank monster.
"Attack!"
In Earth terminology, this action would roughly be called "drawing aggro."
As I mentioned earlier, this was the middle-to-late section of the dungeon.
In other words, it was the area where the stranded Ahn Yoonseung and his team were currently wandering.
However, my main body was immobilized by a trap, so my only remaining option was to buy time like this until the real S-rank individuals arrived.
"Prrr."
After enduring roughly two body slams, the troublesome S-rank monster finally lifted its heavy backside.
Whirr!
Shifting its posture, the dungeon boss extended its long tongue and gently shoved me away, almost as though telling me to stop.
I ignored it and continued pestering the creature.
Then, a few seconds later, the monster finally gave me the reaction I'd been waiting for.
It rose to its full height and charged.
"Kaaaaggh!"
Right.
The instant I caught the monster's attention, I rapidly worked my short legs and sprinted down the corridor to the right.
If this had been an ordinary fight in the natural world, this body would have been caught by the S-rank monster long ago.
But right now, it was being controlled by an alien archmage with exceptionally powerful corpse-manipulation abilities.
Thud!
Using my unique magic detection, I quickly predicted where the attack would land and rolled my body aside.
And the more nimbly I evaded its attacks, the greater the distance between the S-rank monster and Ahn Yoonseung's team became.
The provocation strategy had worked.
I churned the legs of the corpse I'd taken over and raced forward in a zigzag.
Behind me, the dungeon boss snorted in frustration, apparently enraged by the elusive nuisance it simply couldn't catch.
Now all I had to do was shift my center of gravity and dart around the corner ahead.
It was working.
That was when a sound I shouldn't have been able to hear suddenly struck my mind.
Aaaah!
This wasn't a sound the current 'me' had heard directly.
Because of my extreme lack of magic power, I had only managed to cast a low-grade golem-control spell. As a result, I could barely access the various senses of this six-legged amphibian.
Then.
"Huh?"
That human scream echoing through my head right now...
Didn't that mean the information was coming from my main body, where some faint trace of sensation still remained?
***
Approximately 11 minutes after Esther, Jung Haseong, and Seonwoo Yeon entered the dungeon.
Tat, tak, tak.
Thanks to the excellent work of a skilled appraiser who had disabled every trap in advance, they had been able to continue forward without encountering any obstacles.
But eventually, they reached the center of the dungeon.
And there, the rescue team witnessed an unbelievable sight.
At the end of a long corridor scarred by the deep traces of fierce battles, they found a familiar awakened individual.
The hunter was sitting against the wall, his head hanging silently forward.
His damaged suit had been torn open, exposing crushed muscle and blood-soaked bone.
The moment Seonwoo Yeon saw him, she couldn't suppress the piercing scream that tore from her throat.
"Aaaack!"
It was the moment Kim Giryeo's body finally came safely into contact with the real S-rank individuals.