I froze completely as I stared at the footage playing on the TV.
The reporter on screen, clad in safety gear and visibly terrified, was broadcasting live.
—As you can see, the area affected by the dungeon break has suffered extensive damage. Guilds from across the country and the Bureau of Awakened Ability Users’ regional branches are cooperating in response, but with dungeon breaks continuing to erupt, they’re clearly struggling to keep up.
“…What the hell is that?”
It overlapped.
The catastrophe unfolding on screen looked no different from the frontlines where I had once died.
Buildings reduced to rubble as if from an earthquake. Children wailing after losing their families. People injured—or even killed—by monsters emerging from the dungeon.
Beneath a sky choked with smoke and flames, hell was breaking loose.
—Evacuees are fleeing to shelters, but since we’ve had such a long period of peace, the evacuation efforts are proving difficult. According to one Hunter on-site, the incident appears to involve not uncharted dungeons, but rather those that had already been fully cleared and placed under ongoing management—KYAAAH!
Suddenly, a massive bird-like monster appeared in front of the reporter. The screen flickered with static before cutting off completely.
—Reporter Lee? Reporter Lee?!
The anchor’s panicked voice echoed from the studio.
The broadcast switched abruptly to commercials, labeled as a technical issue, but no one watching could have mistaken this for anything other than an emergency.
The other members of Secreti who had been watching the breaking news with me were visibly shaken.
“What the…?”
“What’s going on?”
“Why are dungeon breaks happening all over the place?”
“Did that reporter just die on live TV?”
“…Unless someone saves her, yeah. She’s dead.”
The creature that snatched her with its talons was a flying-type monster. If no airborne Hunters or military units arrived in time, the reporter would’ve become its prey.
Having seen it countless times in my past life, I knew exactly how bleak the outcome could be if she wasn’t rescued.
I flipped through other TV channels, but every one of them was plastered with news about the dungeon breaks.
This is bad.
Which meant this place wasn’t safe either.
As the members began to panic, Ra Ho-yeon suddenly stood up.
“We should evacuate too— AAGH!”
He never got to finish his sentence.
RRRRRRRRRRRM.
A thunderous boom rang out, as if lightning had struck somewhere nearby.
We instinctively ducked under desks and tables for cover.
Seo Yoon-chae, trembling, asked,
“W-Was that an earthquake?”
I snapped at him.
“Hey, does that sound like an earthquake? You saw the news just now.”
“…Then you’re saying that sound was from a dungeon break?”
“Highly likely. No—almost definitely.”
The thunder had barely faded when the air filled with the screams of people and the horrific cries of monsters.
What rank is the dungeon that just broke?
I checked my phone, but there were no alerts.
“Why… why isn’t the emergency alert going off?” Shin Tae-boem asked, puzzled.
I had a good idea why.
“It’s possible the dungeon breaks are so widespread that there aren’t enough personnel left to compile the data and send out alerts.”
“What? That can happen?”
“It happened all the time twenty years ago. Back then, almost all infrastructure was crippled or destroyed. It was an era where even the most dangerous events couldn’t be properly communicated to civilians.”
But something didn’t add up.
Why would massive dungeon breaks suddenly erupt all across the country in an era of peace and stability?
A memory came back—Jin Eutteum’s disappearance in that park dungeon.
No way…
I wanted to deny it. But my gut told me there was a connection.
Dungeons that seemed to be in a dormant phase suddenly exploding into chaos…
And these were dungeons that had already been cleared?
Hunters weren’t idiots.
If they couldn’t subdue a dungeon they’d previously cleared, that could only mean one thing—its difficulty level had increased.
Otherwise, there’s no way the Bureau and the guilds would be this overwhelmed.
These dungeons must’ve changed so drastically from the original clearing data that no one could respond properly.
If the monsters emerging from the enhanced dungeons were types we’d seen before, then they might have a shot at a quick kill…
But judging from the unfolding disaster, that wasn’t the case.
Thinking back to the park incident, it was clear—there weren’t many people left who had firsthand knowledge of monsters from twenty years ago.
Of course. Most of the ability users who fought back then died in the line of duty.
The few who survived were probably from powerful families, shielded by influence and status. They would’ve conned the government or cut deals to get themselves assigned to low-tier dungeons.
It was likely the same now.
I could clearly imagine powerless civilians scrambling in panic.
Biting my lip, I crawled out from under the table.
“…Hey. We need to head out.”
At that, Seo Yoon-chae exploded.
“What? Are you insane? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there right now?”
“We’re ability users.”
“…….”
Seo Yoon-chae fell silent.
“But you saw it, didn’t you? These dungeons are a whole different level from the ones we cleared before—!”
“So what? You want to just sit here and do nothing?”
“…….”
“You get to live this peaceful life as an ability user because others like us made sacrifices in the past.”
Had I finally lost it?
I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore.
Potato tried to stop me too.
[Hey, what the hell are you doing?!]
I don’t know.
[If you go outside now, you’re gonna die a meaningless death! It’s dangerous! You’re technically still registered as a civilian—no one will blame you for staying put!]
I know. I do. But… it doesn’t feel right to just sit here.
[……]
When I remembered how we were used as meat shields on the front lines in my past life, all I could do was curse.
I used to resent the people who enjoyed safety at our expense.
But now, hearing someone scream out there—someone I didn’t even know—I couldn’t ignore it.
If I had the power to protect others and still chose not to act, then I’d be no better than the bastards who threw me into the frontlines.
I didn’t want to live as a coward clinging to safety.
That’s why I told the members we needed to go out.
“You only got basic ability training from Je-ha, but still—you’re all A-rank Espers.”
“…….”
“You should be able to handle an A-rank dungeon without too much trouble. And with me—a former SSS-rank Guide—by your side, our efficiency will be off the charts.”
“You…”
“Besides, remember why Secreti went viral in the first place? Because we cleared a dungeon.”
“That was just dumb luck.”
“Doesn’t matter. You did it. You pulled off a successful clear that even active A-rank Hunters couldn’t manage.”
“…….”
“Which means this is a fight we can win.”
As long as the nearby dungeon wasn’t S-rank or higher, anyway.
Hesitation flickered across the members’ faces.
Not the hesitation of fear—but the kind that comes when you start thinking maybe this fight isn’t a lost cause.
“What do you say?”
The reply didn’t come from the members.
“No.”
“…!”
“Don’t go, Ga-hyun. You can’t.”
Je-ha crashed through the dorm window and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist.
As if afraid I’d disappear the moment he let go.
“Please… don’t go.”
What I saw in Je-ha’s eyes was fear.
He was seeing the same thing I was.
The same horror we’d both witnessed twenty years ago, repeating itself all over again.
And… the terror that he might lose me to the dungeon once more.
***
What bothered Hyun Je-ha the most was the fact that Ban Noah—who had turned out to be X—had revealed his true identity just to send Ga-hyun a provocative warning.
“I’m going to stay by Ga-hyun’s side and protect him.”
He offered a rational reason—saying Ban Noah was likely targeting Ga-hyun’s Resurrection ability.
But even if that wasn’t the case, Je-ha had no intention of leaving Ahn Ga-hyun’s side now that Ban Noah’s disguise had been stripped away.
This anxiety…
Ever since regaining the Ga-hyun he’d longed for so desperately, Je-ha’s nightmares had multiplied.
Before, he used to relive Ga-hyun’s death in his dreams.
Now, the nightmares featured Ahn Ga-hyun in Yeon Yu-jin’s body dying all over again.
Getting his heart pierced by Ban Noah and having his ability core ripped out—Je-ha was forced to watch it happen again and again in those terrible dreams.
