CH 2

It had been a day like any other.

Upon hearing the news that a blue gate had appeared in a park, Yoon Seora had been dispatched along with team member Jung Taesuk.

It was a very simple task, just to measure the rating of the dungeon beyond the gate, and ask the guild in cooperation with the association to attack it.

“Are you not done measuring yet? Even a useless F-class should be quick in action. This is why I don’t want to be in the same team as an F.”

It would have been better if it hadn’t been for that chatter in the back.

Seora sighed inwardly at Park Jinyong’s, the leader of the attack squad in charge of this attack, nonsense.

F-class, the lowest of the Awakeneds, was so weak that the people in this category was called a waste of salary and were treated like this everywhere.

However, people were usually a bit more lenient toward civil servants of the association. But this guy had been judged to be an A-class as soon as he had awakened and entered one of the nation’s top five guilds. That’s why he treated civil servants like a footstool.

No matter how angry she was, Seora ignored it because it would only tire herself.

But he didn’t seem to want to stop here.

“Anyway, the association is funny. Since the civil servants need to have a frequent contact with the guild, why can’t they pick the right ones? Why do they let out the garbage instead?

Oooh? Did you put a motor on your tongue, or are you just simply wild? 

‘Did an F-class eat your money away? Why are you picking a fight when everyone else is just minding their own business living their own lives?’

The provoked Seora snorted and glanced at him.

What is it like to be an A-class Hunter in Clear Blue Guild anyway? To be like this bastard? What a waste of humanity.

“What? Do you have any complaints? I don’t like the look in your eyes.”

Then should I be happy hearing you barking nonsense?

“Did I say something wrong, huh? I don’t know about the others, but I feel that using the tax I paid to pay the salary of civil servants like you is a waste of my money.”

I’m freezing to death for those paid taxes! I wouldn’t be offended if I really didn’t do anything!

Seora lamented that she had been working overtime every day and couldn’t even remember when was the last time she left work on time.

Iron rice bowl civil servant? That’s all a thing of the past. There is no such thing as an iron rice bowl for civil servants belonging to the association. Because everyone is risking their lives to work.

[T/N: Iron rice bowl similar to eating blind wage; earning wage without doing much work]

Biting her lip, Seora glanced at the blue-colored gate.

However, she could not complain here. If she made a mistake and ruined their raid, it wouldn’t end up with just hurting one or two people.

Right, let me be a little kinder and more rational.

“Our association only strives for the safety of citizens. With that in mind, ratings don’t matter.”

I don’t know for you idiots who judge people only by grades, but we have a pretty serious mission here.

Although Seora mocked him inwardly, she smiled kindly on the outside. As expected, the guy snorted as if he didn’t understand a thing.

“Geez. Hey, the world has been turned upside down and you’re still taking about that crap, huh? This world is all about ratings. Seriously, what did I expect from someone who has never really done proper dungeon raids.”

Park Jinyong’s thick fingers tapped Seora’s head. Seora’s face hardened with displeasure.

I did say I would tolerate your disregard… but this is too much. Is it so wrong to be an F-class? You’d die all the same regardless of your class if you lack luck.

“I don’t know why you are picking a fight with me. Oh, are you having pre-siege anxiety? Well, then I suppose I have to be understanding.”

Seora looked straight at Park Jinyong and smiled coldly.

The guy’s, who had been laughing at her, face hardened.

“What?”

“One couldn’t help feeling nervous before an attack despite being an A-class. If it’s too hard to tell the guild, why don’t you tell me instead? You have to work hard not to become a civil servant who only eats paid taxes.”

Park Jinyong’s unsightly cheeks trembled at Seora’s sarcastic remark, . It was really funny. He got angry by these words that were mild compared to the things he had said.

Beep beep.

At that time, the alarm rang from the dungeon’s magic meter, notifying that the measurement was finished. Park Jinyong’s gaze reflexively turned towards it.

Ah, this guy is finally leaving.

Seora called Jung Taesuk, who was on the phone asking for control around the park.

“Section Chief, the measurement is done. The type is a normal dungeon, and the grade is…”

As she was about to announce the grade engraved on the magic meter, she looked at Jung Taesuk, who was approaching after hanging up his phone.

“It’s just right.”

An ominous voice fell over Seora. Her mouth stopped automatically, and she opened her eyes wide and raised her head.

“I have to show the dangers there to F-classes who are wasting taxes and are out of touch with dungeons.”

The first thing she saw was a thick hand swaying at her.

Suddenly everything slowed down.

Park Jinyong’s reaching out movement, her body shaking after being grabbed by the collar as it was, her jumbled vision and her body being thrown somewhere.

Everything went by slowly. Like a watch whose mainspring is broken.

Jung Taesuk’s surprised face was reflected in Seora’s widened eyes.

“Yoon Seora!”

It was only for a short time.

Kudang! As her whole body was thrown hard, Seora was awakened at the same time.

Before her eyes… everything had changed.

“… What is this?”

She wasn’t at the park where the gate popped. Before she knew it, she was trapped in a cave made of dry soil.

Ah, the moment she realized that, her body went out of control and started to tremble.

No. It can’t be. No matter how crazy that bastard was, he wouldn’t have done such a thing.

No matter how angry he was, he wouldn’t have thrown me into a dungeon!

[The Awakened ‘Yoon Seora’ has entered the Level 3 dungeon ‘Werewolf’s Habitat’.]

But the moment a system message appeared in front of her, she couldn’t help but swear.

“That madman!”

Level 3! How— How could you throw someone into a high-level dungeon like this? He had seen the magic meter, so he must have known its grade!

‘Nope. Let’s calm down for now! I can still get out of here right now!’

The gate doesn’t close until you deal with the dungeon boss. So now I can go out without any problems. If I go out, I will never leave the guy who did this to me alone.

Seora hurriedly reached out her hand towards the gate.

But her hand couldn’t get out.

“Why…?”

The gate was closed.

“Why!?”

The gate closed without even killing the Boss Monster!

Crackle. Then, at the creepy sound marking the appearance of beasts coming from behind, Seora quickly looked back.

“Ah…”

Dozens of wolf-type monsters were drooling at her.

“… save me.”

A voice of hope for salvation echoed pitifully in the cave.

But all that came back were the wolves running towards their prey.

***

“Huft, huft…!”

Seora, who was running frantically, squeezed herself into a corner of the cave. Just as she was about to examine the movement outside, her bloodied feet came into sight as her shoes had come off.

“When did it come off?”

She tore her jacket hurriedly and wrapped her feet like a bandage, but blood was already strewn all around. I have to get out of here before the monsters that smell the blood chase me…

“I’ve already run out of mana.”

Is this it?

“Reinforcements aren’t coming either.”

The fact that I haven’t heard anything since time passed means that the gate hasn’t been opened yet.

I didn’t even get to see the Boss Monster. Why is it closed?

Park Jinyong. Why did that bastard throw me in a place like this!?

“It was just a sentence. Did you get so angry with a single sentence that didn’t matter?”

I shouldn’t make a sound, but what’s the big deal now? I don’t have any mana anyway, so it’s over for me.

“Is it so wrong of me to say something? You can treat me like a piece of crap, but can’t I be grumpy? Why should I be treated like this!”

A voice mixed with desperation, anger, longing to live, but suffering from not being able to escape on her own, slammed the wolf’s cave violently.

It was that moment.

[The system responds to the voice of the Awakened ‘Yoon Seora’.]

[The system is forcibly activated.]

Yoon Seora’s eyes widened at the system message window that appeared in front of her.

“In normal dungeon, you can’t use anything but inventory…”

She couldn’t understand the part where it said it had responded to her voice or that it had been forcibly activated.

Seora, who was spacing out, tried to manipulate the system just in case.

“Ah…!”

A community site operated by the system really popped up.

Seora’s face brightened.

The association monitors this community 24 hours a day for information on gate creation. So, I can use this to communicate with the outside world!

“Director. If I can get in touch with the Director…”

The Director was the head of the management office to which she belonged to and the second-in-command of the association.

A ray of hope blossomed in Seora’s, who was being trampled on, heart when the face of her boss, who was cold but cared for his employees, popped up.

Grrr. But that blossom was trampled on by the claws of the beasts that appeared as if they had been waiting, and it was terribly crushed.

The wolves, who smelled the blood, were coming close.

“… Of all things.”

Seora stretched her hands in despair.

Ah, system, system. If you were going to react, you should have reacted a little faster. It is more miserable to die after hope is broken than to die in despair.

“System, you f*cking son of a bitch!”

It was because of that.

Because at the moment the dozens of wolves were rushing in, Seora had unknowingly cursed at the system, not Park Jinyong.

Ah, what the hell is going on here.

System messages began to come up one after another as if responding to the abuse.

[The system administrator intervenes in the dungeon. Invoke a protective shield.]

[A temporary administrator’s shield is created in the Level 3 dungeon ‘Werewolf’s Habitat’!]

… Eh? No, wait a minute. What did it say?

The system administrator… Here…?

‘… Is this for real?’