“They decided to join up with the other teams.”
That was what Oh Kwon-hyuk said over the comms.
“Join up?”
“It seems there’s been some kind of problem. We’ll wait and merge with the vanguard.”
Yoo Ji-won, who had been stomping on the crawling monsters beneath his feet with a disgusted expression, asked again.
“What kind of problem?”
[There’s a problem?]
[Ughㅠ this team has no talkers, it’s so frustrating]
[I was wondering why they were broadcasting this exploration at all, lol turns out they just cast Yoo Ji-won to show off]
[Knew it, typical Hansung lol]
[Why are you blaming Hansung? It was probably the Association hyping it again lol]
[Come on, anyone can see this is Hansung’s fault lol, Lee Myung-won too, and the Guildmaster didn’t even show up, they just sent Baek Tae-beom to make it look good]
“Hey~ let’s not fight in the chat, okay? Anyone using profanity will get banned without notice. And even if you come crying later, I won’t lift the ban~!”
Despite Yoo Ji-won’s warning, the heat in the chat didn’t die down—it only got more intense. Watching the poor guy flounder was almost pitiful. Oh Kwon-hyuk, who had been indifferently looking down at him, turned to the group.
“Looks like they found the passage to the next floor.”
“Already?”
When I asked, Oh Kwon-hyuk nodded.
[A new Constellation has entered channel #fdl990. Current viewer count: 13]
Right then, as if on cue, a notification popped up. The final fourth team had entered.
Figuring it would be a while before anything moved forward, we decided to take a short break beneath the collapsed sanctuary. As if they had been waiting for the moment, the other hunters rushed off, scattering in all directions to rummage through treasure chests and boxes strewn about.
Among them were items that even at a glance looked expensive—accessories, gold coins, and the like.
“Gold coins! Real gold coins!”
“Are these usable?”
“If I take it, no one’s… going to say anything, right?”
One by one, they began stuffing their bags and pockets with loot. Their faces were overwhelmed with greed. It left an odd feeling lingering in the air. Baek Tae-beom, standing beside me and watching the same scene, looked down at me.
“Hyung, do you want to take some too?”
“No, not like that…”
This is mine! No, that one’s mine! Voices started rising in argument. Clink! Gold coins spilled out of a box and rolled across the floor. People immediately dropped to the ground, scrambling to grab them. Watching them fight, trying to snatch things from each other, completely erased any lingering temptation I had to join in.
Perhaps others felt the same. A few who had been eyeing the treasure started backing away.
Watching the growing chaos, Yoo Ji-won—who had considered grabbing some treasure but then stopped—spoke with a horrified look on his face.
“Dear subscribers, you see that? That’s what fighting looks like. That’s how ugly you all look right now.”
[Yoo Ji-won’s attacking the chat now]
[Our Ji-won has a skill for this lololololol bomb the room]
[Yeah, guys, if you don’t listen, Ji-won says he’s gonna blow the room up]
[Careful not to trigger him, kids]
[Incoming room detonation, lolololol]
And even in the middle of that, a fight broke out.
“You fucker, get your hands off that!”
“Did you just curse at me? You crazy son of a bitch, you trying to die?”
“You touched my gold coins, fucker. Don’t act like you didn’t.”
“How is that yours? You spit on it or something?”
“Yeah, I did. What are you gonna do about it?”
“You filthy fuck…”
They grabbed each other by the collar, fists flying. I could only stare, disgusted. Humans really could become this pathetic in front of money…
[Constellation ‘One More Dazzling Than the Sun’ has sponsored you with 300 Coins.]
[Remaining Coins: 19,000]
[CH.#fdl990/One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: Son. Don’t ever be like that.
[CH.#fdl990/One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction]: Who the hell is your son?
[CH.#fdl990/One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: Daddy will give you something better~ There, there. Such a good boy.
This Constellation has lost his damn mind.
[CH.#fdl990/One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction]: Then gimme 30,000 more Coins, Dad.
[CH.#fdl990/One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: Who said I was your dad?
[CH.#fdl990/Free Wind]: Are you two doing a comedy sketch or something?
Oh Kwon-hyuk, who had been silently watching the fight unfold, strode forward and grabbed the two nearest hunters. Without hesitation, he hurled them both backward.
The two men, flung helplessly, let out startled screams as they crashed to the ground.
“If you’re so fond of these gold coins that you want to cuddle them to sleep, I won’t stop you. But anyone who becomes a burden to the team will be left behind.”
His voice was calm, deliberate, and low. The hunters, who had been scuffling moments ago, immediately froze. It didn’t seem like they stopped because he told them to—it was more like they were afraid he’d throw them next.
Amid the tense silence, a commotion erupted from the direction we had come. Team 3 rounded the corner and arrived. Not long after, the final Team 4 followed suit.
“Hey guys!”
Blue Star came bounding toward us with long strides, wildly waving his arms. His sky-blue hair fluttered behind him. It was obvious he was headed straight for me, so I tried to hide behind Baek Tae-beom, but unfortunately, he got to me first.
“Ga-hyeon! Do you have any idea how much I missed you?”
“…Who are you again?”
“Oh come on! We even promised to meet again!”
And then Oh Kwon-hyuk unceremoniously grabbed Blue Star by the scruff of his neck and lifted him off the ground.
“You’re being a nuisance.”
“Ah, come on! Let go of me! This time I will win Ga-hyeon over!”
“Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon joined Hansung some time ago. Get a grip.”
“What the hell do you know, you idiot! As long as the ink on the contract hasn’t dried, I still have a shot!”
Baek Tae-beom, smiling as he watched the loud exchange, turned to me and asked:
“Should I kill him?”
“Isn’t that a bit of an overreaction?”
“For you, hyung, I’d take care of a few people…”
“That’s a joke, right, Tae-beom?”
Then, a thin, worn-looking man stumbled toward us.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Seong-jae.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon.”
He gave me a light handshake and pushed up his glasses. At a glance, he gave off a similar vibe to Lee Myung-won, but upon closer inspection, he was nothing alike—much thinner, smaller, with a completely different temperament. And most importantly…
“You’re from the Association, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right. Ha ha. It was quite a hassle trying to keep Hunter Blue Star under control.”
This bastard was actually a member of the Red Apple Guild.
‘Information.’
[Retrieving subject information.]
[Kim Seong-jae with the Scrawny Voice]
[Title: Scrawny Voice, One Who Scraped the Edge, Crimson Tent…
Grade: B
Status: Unable to Verify
Contracted Constellation: Guardian of Clear Waters
Coin Balance: Unable to Verify
Owned Skills: [Rising Water] [Leap Downward] [Heaven’s Punishment Rain]…
An awakened being contracted with a higher-grade Constellation. Caution is advised.]
‘Just like in the original.’
As in the original work, this guy was likely one of the core figures leading Red Apple alongside Yoo Jin-woo. If I could crush him here, it would be ideal. With that thought in mind, I responded with a pleasant smile.
“I see.”
Control, my ass. Blue Star was just going easy on you.
After merging with the other teams, we began to move forward again. Droplets from the ceiling fell, soaking our clothes. Before long, we came upon a place that was unmistakably a prison.
Baek Tae-beom lightly tapped one of the iron bars, inspecting the rusted metal.
“Looks like it held a lot of people.”
“Really?”
“Either that, or it was used to cage something huge…”
“Where do you think they all went?”
Baek Tae-beom responded to my question with a sly smile.
“Probably died.”
Occasional monsters popped out and startled us, but we never truly felt threatened. With a force of over a hundred people, monsters were practically being beaten down before they could even pose a threat.
[CH.#fdl990/One More Dazzling Than the Sun]: Now this is what I call peaceful.
[CH.#fdl990/One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction]: Easy for you to say when you’re not the one running on foot.
[CH.#fdl990/One Who Holds Two Snakes]: Sun… More… Dazzling… Than… the Sun-nim… that’s… not… okay…
[CH.#fdl990/One Who Holds Two Snakes]: We must share… and warmly welcome… one another…
[CH.#fdl990/One Who Holds Two Snakes]: Let us… love peace…
It took a considerable amount of time to pass through the prison. Piles of seemingly valuable treasures had been left inside the cells, causing people to scramble and fight over them. Even though Team 3’s leader, Goblin’s Lee Hae-ran, and Kim Seong-jae tried to stop them, it was all in vain. The others only listened once they had filled their packs with loot.
Blue Star clicked his tongue sharply.
“What do they think they’re doing, grabbing that stuff without a second thought~ You wanna end up cursed or something?”
“You believe in that kind of superstition?”
“Huh?”
When I asked, Blue Star blinked, then laughed as if he found the question amusing.
“Not so much superstition—more like a guaranteed curse. You wouldn’t believe how many idiots I’ve seen drop dead from some weird status ailment after hauling strange junk out of a dungeon.”
So there was a darker reason behind his words.
“But I’m kind of touched that you’re paying attention to what I say~ Could it be you’re interested in joining our guild?”
Before I could respond, Baek Tae-beom immediately stepped between us and growled, low and threatening. Blue Star burst into laughter, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“You raising a dog?”
“You could say that.”
Once we exited the prison, we finally reached our destination. Destination? Could you even call this place that? The vast hall that gradually came into view was almost blinding in its grandeur. Mountains of gold—far more than anything we’d seen up to now—were piled high, beyond comparison.
It was complete chaos. People were clearly fighting over who would take what. And at the center of it all stood a towering figure—well over ten meters tall—jet black and shaped like a human.
