episode_0475

Cerberus.

Guardian of Hell.

Three-headed hound.

A familiar name from ancient myths to people of old.

But to modern folks, Cerberus was no longer just a mythical creature confined to legends; it was real.

“Why on earth is the boss monster of Hell Gate here!?”

Hell Gate.

The name of a dungeon that appeared in the southern region of Greece three years ago.

Ranked as EX by the World Hunter Association.

Short for Extraordinary, this grade signifies the following:

‘Unconquerable.’

A dungeon that cannot be conquered by any means with current power.

Do you understand what this means?

It means it has been officially recognized by the world.

This dungeon is deemed impregnable by the strength of present-day hunters.

Cerberus is the boss monster of such a dungeon.

It single-handedly wiped out dozens of parties that bravely charged in.

The leader of a place that instilled fear in the Greeks, unsure of when the dungeon break would occur.

And now, that creature had appeared not in distant Greece but on the land of South Korea.

Alongside the massive gate of hell it guards.

“What in the world is going on!”

Thanks to this, the government was thrown into disarray.

“A three-headed dog appearing out of nowhere in Gwanghwamun Square, is it really Greece’s Cerberus!?”

In response to the president’s question, the Prime Minister grimly nodded.

“It is true. After contacting Greece for verification… the boss monster ‘Cerberus,’ meant to guard Hell Gate, has vanished without a trace along with the gate.”

“How could this happen…!”

The president, struggling to catch his breath, could barely articulate his words.

Understandably so.

A boss monster from a dungeon located not even in their own country, let alone a neighboring one.

How astonishing for such a monster to suddenly appear in the heart of South Korea.

Struggling to breathe, the president managed to speak.

“What should we do now?”

After a moment of silence, the Prime Minister, with sharp eyes, responded.

“I will convene an emergency response committee.”

For medical needs, there are doctors; for medicines, pharmacists.

And for dealing with monsters, there are hunters.

As a former hunter, the Prime Minister convened the emergency response committee in place of the president, summoning officials.

Thus, South Korea’s proud S-rank hunters gathered in one place.

Except for two individuals.

Noticing the two empty seats, the Prime Minister furrowed his brow.

“It was expected that one seat would be vacant… but who is missing from the other?”

One empty seat was a given.

The person who had left for training had suddenly disappeared without a trace, making it impossible to determine their whereabouts.

But who was missing from the other seat?

In response, Hunter Association Chairman Moon Cheol-jun replied with a troubled expression.

“It’s Hunter Kim Do-jin.”

“Did he leave for an overseas mission?”

“No.”

“Then why is he absent?”

The tone of the Prime Minister lowered.

Indicating his displeasure.

Wasn’t the special treatment of an S-rank hunter by the nation meant for situations like today’s incident?

Receiving due respect, yet not showing up at a crucial moment could only sour feelings.

Facing the stern gaze of the former S-rank hunter turned Prime Minister, Moon Cheol-jun spoke with a strained expression.

“We’ve lost contact with him.”

“Has he gone into hiding?”

Startled by the bolder remark, Moon Cheol-jun nervously interjected.

“T-That’s absolutely not the case. We’ve sent someone who knows Hunter Kim Do-jin well to his home, so please give us some time until we hear back.”

“…Very well.”

Masking the energy that had unknowingly surfaced with the shift in emotions, he softened his expression.

Without realizing, his stoic demeanor transformed, and he addressed those seated around the long table.

“Let’s begin the meeting.”

Emergency strategy meeting has commenced.

* * *

[A dungeon break incident has occurred in Jongno. The monster that appeared is Cerberus, known as the boss monster of an EX-grade dungeon located in southern Greece, causing a shock….]

With the sudden appearance of Cerberus, not only Korea but the whole world was thrown into chaos.

【Strange phenomenon! Monsters from a Greek dungeon in Korea?】

【Disaster strikes South Korea.】

The eyes of nations worldwide once again turned to Korea.

The anomaly of Greek disaster manifesting in Korea became the first reason for interest.

However, their interest was not solely focused on that.

From Gangnam’s Leviathan, Haenam’s Kraken, to Jongno’s Cerberus.

The greatest calamity of hunter society striking the unfortunate country of Korea three times.

They wonder.

Will those who barely survived two disasters manage to bring about another miracle?

Or will they ultimately succumb and fall to the calamity?

“Yu, Yujung. What should we do?”

“…I don’t know.”

Having grasped the situation through the TV and messages from the association, she bit her lip.

Cerberus.

The boss monster of a dungeon deemed unbeatable by the world.

Countless hunters have been torn apart by his fangs and claws.

Among them, nine are S-rank hunters alone.

And the number of A-rank hunters like herself is beyond easy reckoning.

Such a calamity had befallen Jongno.

The TV anchor, with a calm yet tense demeanor, continued speaking.

[Cerberus currently shows no signs of movement….]

Indeed.

Contrary to the upheaval in the world, Cerberus still shows no signs of movement.

Yet, that makes it all the more terrifying.

A monster displaying unwavering hostility towards humans, appearing in the human world, yet showing no signs of movement.

[Meanwhile, the government has announced that an emergency strategy committee is discussing ways to deal with Cerberus.]

Emergency strategy meeting.

Famous hunters and experts from South Korea were said to have gathered there.

Except for one person.

Kim Dojin.

‘What the hell happened yesterday, that guy.’

It was when he was recalling his appearance that he casually saw this morning.

Ding-dong! Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

Opening the door, a familiar face stood there, breathing heavily.

“…Jian unni?”

It was Yoon Jian.

After catching her breath, she shot a frustrated look at Shin Yujung.

“Why didn’t you pick up the phone… I’ve been trying to reach you urgently since last night…”

Suppressing her irritation almost immaculately with a neat apology.

“Sigh… Where’s Dojin? He needs to attend the emergency strategy meeting immediately, but I couldn’t reach him since last night…”

She sent a suspicious glance towards Shin Yujung.

A small doubt crept in, wondering if he didn’t even know about the calls due to spending a heated night.

Shin Yujung left with a heavy expression, nodding silently.

“Follow me.”

“……”

Sensing something amiss, she lifted her gaze from the suspicious look.

Quietly, she followed Shin Yujung to Kim Dojin’s rooftop residence.

There, a diviner awaited.

“Professor, how is it going?”

Baek Hyeon-a.

Once a professor at a Korean university, now a charming woman residing here after disappearing suddenly.

Standing in front of the door with a serious expression, she peered into the room before shaking her head.

“It’s the same. Nothing has changed at all.”

“I see.”

Growing curiosity amidst the cryptic conversation.

She approached Shin Yujung and observed the scene inside the room that Baek Hyeon-a was looking at.

Finally, she saw it.

Plop!

Thud!

Whoosh…!

“Do-Dojin…?”

Kim Dojin sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room with his eyes closed.

The body, filled with large and small wounds, bends and twists with a loud noise, repeating the motion.

In her eerie and seemingly unbearable state of pain, she asked, “What… what’s happening?”

Shin Yoojeong shook her head. “I don’t know. He didn’t come in until late yesterday, so I came up early this morning to check, and it’s been like this since then.”

Yoon Jeean turned her head and also asked Baek Hyeon, “…Why is this happening? Could it be due to an attack?”

“I’m not sure,” Baek Hyeon replied vaguely before continuing, “I think we can speculate on two possibilities.”

“If there are two…”

“The first could be a serious issue with the body struggling to hold on, and the second… for some reason, the body is changing and adapting to it.”

Perplexed, she thought, if it’s the former, his life is in danger, and if it’s the latter, his strength might increase.

With a conflicted expression between the extreme scenarios, she asked again, “Is there anything we can do separately….”

“There’s nothing we can do. Whether it’s the former or the latter, interfering from the outside could lead to even bigger problems.”

“…Is that so.”

Yoon Jeean lowered her head in resignation.

It was pitiful. There was nothing she could do to help him, as he looked visibly strained.

But only for a moment.

She raised her head with a heavy sense of duty.

“Instead of being sad about what we can’t do, let’s focus on what we can.”

Fortunately, there were things she could do for Kim Dojin.

“Shin Yoojeong.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I’ll try to stall time by engaging with the council. Please keep an eye on Dojin. If he wakes up or if anything happens, contact me immediately.”

Shin Yoojeong nodded with a charismatic air, indicating she would not entertain any objections.

“Okay, got it.”

“Thank you.”

She left promptly, aiming to manage public opinion to prevent negative remarks against him.

‘I am a secretary.’

Therefore, she resolved to do her best in her role as his secretary.

Until he emerged in all his glory.

Entering the emergency meeting room at the Blue House where the crisis response meeting was in full swing, she spoke confidently, “Kim Dojin Hunter is currently at a critical juncture.”

“A critical juncture? What does that mean?”

A former S-rank hunter inquired sharply.

Undaunted, she replied, “I cannot disclose that information.”

Confusion filled the room.

Frustrated by the evasive answer, he questioned further, “Are you saying that whatever concerns Kim Dojin Hunter has are more important than a national crisis?”

“Well…”

She calmly tilted her head.

“But one thing I can assure you of.”

“What is it?”

Taking a deep breath, she stood tall and delivered a shocking statement, exuding an aura equal to that of an S-rank hunter.

“The only person who can resolve this matter is Kim Dojin Hunter.”

“…!”

Truth or falsehood, it didn’t matter.

As long as she could shield her beloved from the arrows with just a few words.

And she sincerely believed.

That the only person who could resolve this situation was Kim Dojin.

No, perhaps she was hoping that only Kim Dojin could do it.

But that didn’t matter.

As long as she had set her mind on that one man, she vowed never to waver.

“If it’s Kim Dojin Hunter, it can be done.”

She simply pushed forward with determination.

At the moment when her statement shook those gathered in the face of a national crisis.

Boom! Crash!

Accompanied by a tumultuous sound that seemed to shake the entire building, Kim Dojin’s body began to tremble violently.