Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

55 – The Forces of Death (1)

Dark night.

Dim lights enveloped the hospital room.

Despite having only one bed in the room, several people were moving around.

There were even security guards stationed outside the room.

All for the sake of taking care of a single patient.

The patient was none other than Jung Woo-jin, the second son of the Phoenix Guild’s guildmaster.

That’s why everyone was diligently taking care of him even late at night.

Because if any problems arose, their lives would be the first to be at stake.

“hehehe… Huh….”

However, Jung Woojin’s condition on the bed was far from good.

No, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the worst.

Even when left alone, he would sometimes burst into laughter, drool, and occasionally even have seizures.

When the seizures were particularly severe, those around him had to stick close to subdue him.

Jung Woojin.

He originally exercised his greeting rights within the guild.

Although his position was lower compared to the deputy guild master, the title of being the guild master’s child was by no means something to be ignored.

And what kind of guild was the Phoenix Guild?

It was one of the top guilds in South Korea.

Even mid-sized guilds on the street had enough power to blow away with a single breath.

Thus, Jung Woojin lived in the Phoenix Guild, receiving treatment akin to royalty.

If this wasn’t happiness, then what was?

But such happiness didn’t last long.

Jung Woojin harbored a bit more greed here.

He wanted to elevate his honor within the guild even more and, at the same time, bring down his talented younger sister, Jung Ye Rin.

So, he planned one thing.

Dungeon conquest.

Assigning dungeons wasn’t a difficult task.

Since Jung Woojin held the greeting rights himself, he could choose which dungeon to assign as he pleased.

For his younger sister, he assigned an A-rank dungeon with a Goblin Horde.

And for himself, he chose a B-rank Incubus dungeon.

Incubus.

A monster that steals a woman’s essence.

So, if well-prepared, it was almost like a dungeon ready to be devoured.

Jung Woojin, confidently shouting, embarked on the conquest of the Incubus dungeon.

The result?

He returned in failure.

Even if he barely managed to come back alive, his condition now was beyond words.

It seemed like it would have been better to die.

Daily life was already impossible.

The life he had envisioned within the guild had come to an end.

He was now a nonentity within the guild.

No, it was rather a flaw that needed to be hidden.

What he had experienced inside the dungeon was tightly veiled in secrecy and under strict control.

“Ah.”

Tears streamed down Jung Woojin’s eyes as his consciousness briefly returned.

It was a repetition of regret.

In the dungeon he thought was a guaranteed success, there was one variable.

The appearance of a succubus.

And not just any succubus, but a high-level monster.

After that, his memories and those of his subordinates were cut off.

Since then…

“Uwook…!”

Only horrific memories he didn’t want to think about were left.

It was hell.

A hell he didn’t want to think about.

Yes, a memory he absolutely had to forget.

He wished he could lose his mind completely.

Even now, Jung Woojin desperately tried to erase his memories.

It’ll only take a moment.

At this rate, he might lose his mind again.

As Jung Woojin muttered to himself, a sound came from outside.

“Have you come?”

It seemed like someone had come.

Who could it be?

Jung Woojin had already lost interest.

No one from his family had visited when he was admitted here.

Even if it was someone who had come, it would probably be hunters from the information department of the Phoenix Guild.

But someone had come to find him.

Could it be someone from the guild again?

The door of the hospital room opened, revealing a man shortly afterward.

It was an unexpected figure.

“…Hyung.”

It was Jung Tae-young, the vice-guild master of the Bulsae Guild and the older brother of Jung Woo-jin.

“Everyone, leave. Don’t come in until I speak separately.”

Jung Tae-young first organized the people inside the hospital room.

After confirming that everyone had left, he finally looked at Jung Woo-jin.

“I heard you’re not in good shape, but you look fine, Jung Woo-jin.”

The first visit to his injured younger brother.

However, Jung Tae-young’s voice was filled with coldness.

“….”

Jung Woo-jin couldn’t say anything.

Because his brother’s reaction was too cold.

“Well, I guess I failed.”

Maybe the image of the Bulsae Guild took a hit too.

It would surely rebound as a blow to his brother, the vice-guild master.

From Noble mtl dot com

That’s what Jung Woo-jin thought.

But the answer that came out of Jung Tae-young’s mouth was completely different.

“Did you really want to be the vice-guild master so badly?”

“…?”

What is he talking about?

Jung Woo-jin couldn’t understand his brother’s words right now.

He wanted to open his mouth and express his confusion, but Jung Tae-young didn’t give him the time.

“If all those appearances until now were just an act, I’d applaud. Truly impressive.”

Jung Tae-young clapped his hands sarcastically.

“Nothing you said was right.”

Despite his brother’s words, Jung Woo-jin still expressed doubt.

What is this situation?

When did he lose consciousness again, or did something else happen?

“Even now, looking at that expression of not knowing, only admiration comes out.”

Jeong Tae-young slowly approached.

“I sent an expedition to that dungeon just by listening to your words. However, there has been no news from the expedition until now. With that level of power, there should have been time to conquer the dungeon already.”

Jeong Tae-young had already approached Jeong Woo-jin.

“Within the guild, there’s already an atmosphere of reaching a conclusion. Something unexpected happened. And there are talks that the expedition practically faced annihilation.”

Jeong Tae-young gradually raised his hand.

“So I thought. Where did it go wrong? No, is it really a mistake?”

Jeong Tae-young’s hand gently touched the flower beside the bed.

“Imagine if, what if it’s not a mistake? What if the whole thing was made to go wrong from the beginning?”

Petals were plucked one by one from the flower in Jeong Tae-young’s hand.

“From the beginning, there were no succubi in the dungeon. No, it might not have been an incubus dungeon in the first place. It’s all a play in the premeditated plan.”

All the petals fell.

“If this incident goes awry, who would benefit the most? I’ve thought about it.”

As all the petals fell, his hand, now devoid of purpose, pointed at Jeong Woo-jin.

“Jeong Woo-jin. Did you want to surpass me, the vice guild leader, so badly? To the point of pushing aside your elder brother?”

Jeong Tae-young’s voice trembled with anger.

Anyway, Jeong Ye-rin went to a place she couldn’t return.

Grade A Goblin Road Dungeon.

Even if she has managed to survive until now, it won’t be long before she dies.

So Jeong Ye-rin completely erased her from her thoughts.

But not Jeong Woo-jin.

He was in a position where he could become a rival at any time, even though he was a younger brother.

“I haven’t been watching you all this time just because you’re my brother. It’s because you knew your place well and humbled yourself.”

But not anymore.

Now that he knew Jeong Woo-jin was trying to surpass him, he couldn’t just sit still.

Jeong Tae-young grabbed Jeong Woo-jin’s mouth with his hand.

“Mmm…”

Jeong Woo-jin struggled to break free from his brother’s grip, but the difference in strength was too much.

Jeong Tae-young exerted even more force with his hand.

It was as if he could kill his younger brother right in front of him this very moment.

“Isn’t it better to just die, useless as you are?”

Strength gradually drained from Jung Woo-jin’s body.

At that moment,

“Brigade Leader Bu!”

Someone entered the hospital room.

It was Jung Tae-young’s secretary.

“What? Didn’t I tell you not to come in?”

“I apologize! It’s urgent right now…”

Jung Tae-young loosened his grip on his brother’s hand.

What urgent matter could there be at this hour?

“What’s going on?”

Ignoring his brother, who was convulsing, he turned his body away.

“Th-the Monster Wave has occurred!”

“…What?”

A moment of silence filled the hospital room.

Why on earth was there suddenly talk of a Monster Wave?

“A Monster Wave erupted in the dungeon where the raiding party led by Seo Young-ho entered!”

“The scale?”

Jung Tae-young looked at his brother with a furrowed brow.

Honestly, nothing good ever happened.

“So far, confirmed monsters include ghouls, succubus, and…”

The secretary hesitated for a moment.

After taking a deep breath, he spoke again.

“Death Knights have been confirmed as well.”

hahahaha.

An A-grade monster…

Jung Tae-young laughed as if incredulous.

He seemed like a person who had lost his mind.

“Woo-jin.”

And then, he called his younger brother’s name again.

“Is there a succubus there even now?” he said in a voice filled with anger.

Now, the questions that Jeong Tae-young had been carrying were finally understood.

In the dungeon, there was not a succubus but a Death Knight.

Understanding now, as the focus was only on the succubus, it made sense that there was no news from the raid team.

They must have been wiped out by the Death Knight already.

The ghouls coming out of the dungeon now are probably the transformed raid team members.

“And also….”

But the report didn’t end there.

“Miss Jeong Ye-rin came out of the dungeon.”

“What?”

How is this happening right now?

Did she suddenly come out of the dungeon in a life-or-death situation?

If so, it wouldn’t be an impossible feat.

But the next words shattered Jeong Tae-young’s expectations.

“…She cleared the dungeon. And she even brought the corpse of the Goblin Lord.”

Jeong Tae-young sat on the edge of the bed, his expression twisted.

“Ha….”

This was the worst.

Ye-rin’s appearance at this moment was an enormous variable.

He thought it would be over if he got rid of Jeong Woo-jin, but now, another one popped up.

Where did it all go wrong?

While thinking, he glanced at Jeong Woo-jin.

“Woo-jin.”

Unlike before, his voice was not cold.

“We are brothers, aren’t we? Isn’t that right?”

It was unexpectedly gentle.

“Mother is worried too. She came all the way here because it’s the Phoenix Guild. If things get more complicated here, it’ll be tough.”

Certainly.

In fact, when Jung Woojin’s incident erupted, Jung Taeyoung acted swiftly.

First and foremost, to prevent the dungeon’s information from spreading, he even utilized artifacts around to suppress the energy as much as possible.

The quiet covering up of Jung Woojin’s situation was only possible because of the authority of the Phoenix Guild.

However, the atmosphere has now changed.

A monster wave erupted from the dungeon held by the Phoenix Guild.

Immediate action is imperative.

The monster wave must not be allowed to grow any further.

Moreover, there exists a Death Knight that turns the slain into ghouls.

If the scale continues to expand…

Once the monster wave subsides, the government will thoroughly investigate the Phoenix Guild.

In severe cases, it might lead to a congressional hearing.

“Tsk.”

The monster wave has turned everything upside down.

Even worse, the place where the monster wave erupted is not sparsely populated.

But what if more damage occurs here?

What if they reach a point where they can no longer intervene?

While the guild master, his father, might remain unscathed, as a deputy guild master, he surely won’t.

The worst-case scenario might be stepping down from the deputy guild master position.

No, perhaps that was the starting point.

Jung Taeyoung looked at Jung Woojin, swallowing his anger inwardly.

Still, he’s his younger brother.

Unlike the other Jung siblings, Jung Woojin is his biological younger brother born from the same mother.

“Woojin, conclude this matter.”

It was both a request as an elder brother.

“Whether it’s dealing with Yerin’s death or stopping the monster wave, take full responsibility and step back. Then, I’ll ensure you can at least survive under the Phoenix Guild.”

Simultaneously, it was a threat.

If he fails, what alternatives are there?

Death, perhaps.

* * *

The Hunter Association was quiet again today.

Not because of a lack of personnel, but due to the absence of any special emergency situations.

Unlike before, the system was now somewhat systematically organized.

Most situations could be handled by the lower-tier agencies and hunters below.

“Another quiet day.”

Han Jeongcheol, an A-class hunter and simultaneously the leader of the Emergency Response Team at the Association, sat in his chair, taking a moment to rest.

Although it was called the Emergency Response Team, there was practically nothing to do in the current peaceful period.

Even if a dungeon suddenly emerged in some region, nearby guilds or government-affiliated hunters would quickly handle it.

Within the already well-established system, all they had to do was hold their positions.

Well, as long as it wasn’t a monster wave.

“Team leader! It’s a big problem! A monster wave has erupted!”

Just like that.

Oh, a monster wave had erupted. A mons…

“What?!”

Han Jeongcheol stood up in surprise.

Then, he looked at the one who had just spoken and replied.

“Mi-rae, a monster wave? Are you kidding me right now?”

Suddenly, a monster wave.

Usually, it would have been brushed off as a joke.

But the person in front of him was not someone who knew anything about jokes, an uninteresting fellow.

Lee Mirae.

A B-class hunter affiliated with the Emergency Response Team.

Since Han Jeongcheol himself knew the people who accompanied him well, he understood.

That guy would never tell lies.

“Yeah, Mi-rae. What are you talking about? A monster wave out of nowhere?”

This was definitely not a joke.

The things that came out of Lee Mirae’s mouth were all serious matters.

“…And to make matters worse, it’s a Death Knight? This is serious. Where is it located?”

The most crucial thing was the location.

If this had happened in a remote place with no people, that would have been fortunate.

At least it would buy some time.

But the world was never a beautiful place that always went as one desired.

“This is Anyang.”

Even the last hope was crushed.

Anyang was a fairly populated area.

And it was close to Seoul.

“Damn it! Mobilize immediately!”

The Death Knight was an A-class monster.

It wasn’t just scary because of its high rank; the true power of the Death Knight lay in its skills.

The opponents it killed were reborn as ghouls.

In other words, it could create an infinite number of ghouls.

They had to eradicate them quickly before everyone turned into ghouls.

“Please….”

He prayed for nothing to happen.

At least he hoped the damage wouldn’t be too great, and Han Jung-chul called the emergency response team.