Ch.63Dungeon Conquest – 3

The Lizard Man is a C-grade monster.

It’s neither particularly fast nor exceptionally strong.

Even its size is almost comparable to that of a human.

It received its C-grade classification mainly because it inhabits the extremely annoying environment of swamplands.

And because it uses crude but recognizable “weapons.”

Kyaruk—!

“Ugh!”

But these ones were different. They weren’t weak; they could even be called strong.

On top of that, their speed was incomparably faster than their usual counterparts.

Just a while ago, the students, despite being outnumbered, had easily gained the upper hand.

Now, despite having numerical superiority, they were locked in a back-and-forth struggle.

“Ice Wall!”

An ice wall large enough to shield three people rises up.

Taking advantage of this, Dasom Yoo quickly approached the injured student.

“Where!”

“My shoulder! Shit, it hurts like hell!”

“Stay still! It’s harder to treat if you move!”

Normally, it would be proper to pull the injured back for treatment.

But the situation was too urgent, and Dasom wasn’t the type to just stay in the back.

So Hana Kang covered for Dasom while casting offensive spells.

Kaek—!

The students finally managed to take down one Lizard Man.

However, there were still four more enemies remaining.

Following Seojin Baek’s advice to take occasional breaks had been a godsend.

If they had foolishly continued fighting without rest and then faced this situation,

there would likely have been more serious injuries due to accumulated combat fatigue.

‘What on earth is happening? How can a mere Lizard Man withstand my magic?’

Hana bit her lip at this impossibility.

Her ice magic was powerful enough to inflict fatal wounds on B-grade monsters.

C-grade monsters should normally have trouble even responding properly to it.

Just look at the previous battles.

Lizard Men had been dropping dead from even relatively weak spells.

She had even worried that the other students might have nothing to do.

‘But now…’

Hana quickly surveyed the battlefield.

Having conserved her magical power, she had enough for an area-of-effect spell.

The problem was that the students and Lizard Men were too close to each other.

If only they could create some distance, but whether the monsters would allow that was the key issue.

“Isn’t something strange, senior?”

A female student handling treatment in the rear casually asked.

“Were Lizard Men always like this? This is my first time. They weren’t this fast or strong before.”

“It seems strange to me too. There’s no obvious external difference. Ah, maybe…”

When Hana looked at the female student, she shook her head.

“The Arbiter checked just now and confirmed they’re C-grade.”

Arbiter Seojin Baek was from the Support Class, specifically in detection and measurement.

Though the skills he’d demonstrated were clearly those of a seasoned Weaponry Class.

“Then how do we explain that…”

As she was speaking, Hana suddenly noticed something odd.

Seojin Baek, who had been fighting alongside the students until just moments ago,

had disappeared from the front line.

‘What? Where did the Arbiter go?’

Could he have been taken down by a Lizard Man?

Hana quickly scanned the ground, but all she could see were Lizard Man corpses.

Besides, with Dasom present, she wouldn’t just stand by and watch if something like that happened.

‘Surely not… No, that can’t be. The Arbiter isn’t that kind of person.’

Minseong Kang and Hakjun Ma were extremely picky about people.

Yet Seojin Baek had earned the approval of both veterans simultaneously.

Hana herself was convinced that Seojin was trustworthy.

So she shouldn’t entertain such absurd thoughts.

He wouldn’t run away like some trash. He must have had a reason.

Yes. If it’s Seojin Baek, if it’s the Arbiter, there must be a reason for his absence.

‘…Wait. What about the other monsters?!’

She had been so focused on the immediate battle that she’d forgotten the most important thing:

getting caught from behind in this situation would lead to disastrous results.

But despite the battle having gone on for quite some time, no other Lizard Men were approaching.

No Lizard Man was coming to aid their fighting comrades?

‘Arbiter. Don’t tell me, alone!’

KWANG—!

As if confirming Hana’s prediction, a loud noise erupted not far away.

*

Until just a while ago, the students had been effortlessly taking down Lizard Men.

But now they were visibly struggling, as if that had never been the case.

It wasn’t that the students were weak. Nor had they let their guard down.

The change had occurred not in them, but in the monsters.

‘At first, I thought they might be new specimens, or that their grade had increased.’

It was neither. The overall level of these creatures had simply risen.

In the early days of the Gate Crisis, newly emerged superhumans were at a lower level than they are now.

Later, as specialized training institutions were established and veterans provided training,

the level gradually improved to reach the current standard.

The same process was happening with the monsters.

While our side received education based on the lessons of previous generations, quickly and effectively,

the monsters were changing through survival-based selection—a kind of “evolution.”

I actually considered using this information.

Monster evolution—thinking about it, it’s truly a remarkable discovery.

They’re getting stronger without increasing in grade.

And considering that such occurrences will become more frequent in the future,

it could have been one of the few bright spots in my life where nothing but civil service offers a future.

But the problem is that I’m just a civil servant, not a monster researcher.

I’m not even a field worker who encounters monsters, so bringing up monster evolution out of nowhere?

Even a passing dog would bark, “Don’t spout nonsense.”

Kiek—!

Kiruk—!

“Keep your eyes forward! I’ll cut off anything coming in!”

“If it gets tough, don’t hesitate to pull back! Don’t force it and get into real trouble!”

The fortunate thing is that these Lizard Men are in a “transitional” phase.

They’ve evolved one step beyond normal ones, but they’re not yet in a perfect state.

And the 3rd Squad students were performing far better than expected.

‘Not bad. Yes, so far so good.’

I pushed one Lizard Man toward the students.

With its back exposed, it would soon be subdued.

The problem is that the current battle is dragging on too long.

Everyone’s attention is focused here. On just five Lizard Men.

Considering the previous battles, other monsters might be approaching.

‘And if those have evolved too, we’re in serious trouble.’

I wonder if the uneasiness and sense of dissonance I’ve been feeling predicted this situation.

I’m not sure when I developed this sense. Like before, this tingling sensation.

Was it when my ability manifested? No, thinking about it, I believe it existed even before that.

Like sensing when a superior is about to throw a fit, or when a problematic citizen is about to appear.

Or even leaving a place urgently before a Gate appears.

‘I’ve always been good at detecting crisis situations. Looking at it that way, the real danger is just beginning.’

The tingling sensation points in the opposite direction from the current battle.

Something is approaching. Very quietly, but definitely.

I can’t pull more people away. It’s already tight here.

So I slipped away while the students’ attention was focused on the Lizard Men.

And moved in the direction where I felt the most ominous sensation.

‘…Yes. Sad premonitions always come true. Damn it.’

Not far from the 3rd Squad students, in an area covered with countless reeds.

Grrrr—

I encountered the boss of this dungeon, the “Alpha.”

*

[Welcome, Chancellor.]

[You’ve arrived.]

“I apologize for being late.”

As Hakjun Ma entered the video conference room, the Minister of Public Administration and Security and the Association President of Superhumans greeted him.

Since they all knew each other, they skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

[I’m sorry for calling you so suddenly, Chancellor. But it’s an extremely urgent matter.]

Beep—

At that moment, another video call window appeared, showing an elderly man’s face.

[What’s this? You called Hakjun too?]

[That’s how it turned out.]

Minseong Kang also appeared in the video conference.

From this, Hakjun Ma sensed once again that this was no ordinary matter.

[Do you all remember the abandoned mine dungeon located in Sokcho, Gangwon Province?]

“If it’s that place, I know it as an A-grade dungeon.”

[That’s correct. It’s classified as an A-grade dungeon. It’s been cleared several times already.]

The Minister of Public Administration and Security sighs deeply before continuing.

[There’s been an accident in that dungeon. No, it would be more accurate to call it a disaster.]

[A disaster?]

Minseong Kang blinks in confusion.

Hakjun Ma has a similar reaction. The word “disaster” rather than “accident” was hard to accept.

“What do you mean? A disaster?”

[Senior.]

The Association President answered the two elderly men’s questions.

[We received a call just now. The team that regularly went to clear the dungeon has been completely wiped out.]

“…What?”

[What did you say?]

Both Hakjun Ma and Minseong Kang questioned in disbelief.

Their reactions showed they couldn’t comprehend what they had just heard.

[What are you talking about? Complete annihilation? And not just rookies, but A-grades? Why?]

The nation’s highest combat power consists of S-grade superhumans.

But they are so rare, and their influence is so enormous when they move,

that in reality, the main force is composed not of S-grades but A-grades.

And most of the Gates and dungeons that appear are also limited to A-grade at most.

The official occurrence of an S-grade Gate happened only half a year ago.

Therefore, in terms of practical experience, A-grades are by no means inferior to S-grades.

“This is absurd.”

Hakjun Ma, who knew his juniors’ capabilities all too well,

shook his head and addressed the Minister.

“These juniors had such rich practical experience. They knew very well what consequences a single moment of carelessness could bring. Complete annihilation? Association President, tell me the names of those in the team.”

[Yes, senior. The fallen warriors in the team were all A-grade superhumans, six in total: Taebeom Koo from Weaponry Class, Martial Arts Class…]

As each name of the fallen was listed,

Hakjun Ma and Minseong Kang let out sighs once more.

The names of the fallen warriors were quite capable juniors even among A-grade superhumans.

They weren’t newly promoted A-grades who were still essentially B-grade in ability.

“…What exactly happened?”

When Hakjun Ma, who had bitten his lip, spoke, the Association President answered.

[Shortly after the dungeon subjugation team entered, monsters began pouring out. As you know, when a dungeon subjugation fails, monsters escape to the outside. Upon realizing the internal failure, we requested support from each clan and formed an investigation team consisting of twenty A-grade members.]

“And then?”

[They encountered a pack of War Hounds there and engaged in combat, eventually succeeding in taking down the boss. But according to them, the level of the monsters had risen to a degree incomparable with before.]

At the Association President’s words, Hakjun Ma let out a sigh.

The uneasiness he had been feeling, unfortunately, was not unfounded.