20 hours before the Labyrinth Dungeon's full manifestation.

Independent of the Hunter Association's decisions, the Magic Tower was making its own preparations.

-Tower Master, preparations are complete.

"Let's begin."

From the Magic Tower, Seojin opened his laptop and began inputting data. Ea projected the same monitor screen directly in front of my Deva's Eye. The map was covered with so many dungeons it made my eyes spin, a sight invisible to the others in the car. Of course, they were all fast asleep from exhaustion.

"Alright, let's take this slow. First, limit the scope to the Gyeongbuk region we initially set."

-Understood.

The map of the entire Korean peninsula zoomed in, focusing on the Gyeongbuk region.

"Did you get the Association's data?"

-Yes, I received it via email from Ms. Shin.

I closed my eyes for a moment to think before I spoke.

"For now, delete all the dungeons that opened today."

There was no time. This was the moment to make a gamble. I was betting that the dungeon leading to the Labyrinth wasn't a recent one. A moment later, some of the red dungeons on the screen vanished, but there were still far too many to check.

'Eliminating them bit by bit like this won't work.'

Trying to consider this many possibilities would be endless. Right, if I were going to gamble, I might as well go all in.

"Just delete everything except the dungeons that opened on the first day."

I was betting that the dungeon leading to the Boss Zone had, in fact, been there from day one. There was a reason it took seven days for the Labyrinth Dungeon to fully manifest. According to additional research from Erendel that Seojin had recently discovered, it takes seven days to establish the connection between the Labyrinth and its subordinate dungeons. Other experts might hesitate, citing the "uncertainty of anomalous phenomena," but with the Magic Tower's information as my basis, I could make bold eliminations.

-Deleted.

Seojin erased all dungeons from the map except those from the first day. More than half of the total disappeared.

"Are there any dungeons that opened on the first day that still haven't been cleared?"

-None in the Gyeongbuk region.

"Okay, then…"

I took a deep breath. "Now, leave only the re-verified green dungeons."

Common sense dictated that a dungeon that had been rechecked didn't need to be searched again. But acting within the bounds of common sense was the Association's job. I was following a different intuition. What I was focusing on was intentional malice.

-Done.

"Okay."

We continued this process of elimination until the sample size grew smaller and smaller. About twenty locations remained.

"The most suspicious ones are definitely among these."

The dungeons in the Gyeongbuk region that were re-verified with suspicious speed right after the Association announced its re-check policy.

-Tower Master. I can hack into the Association's command center and retrieve the profiles of the people who cleared them.

'There's no need for that, Ea. No matter how much we look at their profiles, we can't know what they were thinking or what ideologies they hold.'

After finishing the analysis, I decided to check a total of seven dungeons.

'Ea. Plot a route based on travel time and priority.'

-Understood.

I looked at the people passed out from exhaustion in the car. I'd let them sleep for about three hours; they should be okay now.

"Alright, everyone! Wake up!"

At my shout, they all stirred and began gathering their gear. No one complained. They were all aware that we were running out of time.

"Hwaaam, did we get orders for the next dungeon?" Heejong asked.

I shook my head.

"No. From now on, our party will ignore the Association's directives and act independently."

My declaration made everyone's eyes go wide.

"You're all too exhausted. We'll stick to nearby dungeons that need re-verification. Seojin has already mapped out a route."

The Association was trying to send us to another newly opened dungeon. But if we entered a dungeon in this state and someone got injured or killed, it would ultimately be our loss. We needed to be flexible.

"But," Heejong said, "we have less than twenty hours left. I admit I'm not the most upstanding hunter, but I'm at least aware that this country is in crisis. Instead of going into some half-cleared dungeon to check for a portal, wouldn't it be better to clear even a few new dungeons that we know for sure haven't been touched?"

"If that's the case, then we have all the more reason to check the dungeons that need re-verification."

This time, Yoonji cut in. "Re-checking dungeons is a waste of time! The Boss Zone just hasn't appeared yet!"

"Well, of course, opinions may differ on this…" I leaned a cushion against the backrest and continued slowly. "I believe the dungeon leading to the Boss Zone has been there from the very beginning. Whether someone made a mistake, used a loophole, or did it with malicious intent. I'm sure of it."

I explained in detail my reasons for choosing these seven dungeons. Everyone listened with serious expressions.

"Haah." Heejong ran a hand through his hair. "You do admit that you're just taking a leap of faith, right?"

"Yes."

Since I hadn't revealed the Magic Tower's information, it was impossible to gain their complete trust. Still.

"It's better than running into red dungeons with no hope. Fine, I'm in." Heejong cast his vote of approval.

Yoonji nodded as well. "I think it's worth a shot."

Bora clenched her fists. "Then let's get going! Please, driver!"

The driver nodded and gripped the steering wheel. "If only all the hunters in our country were like you all… Here we go."

* * *

For twelve hours, our party moved in and out of the Gyeongbuk region, enduring a hardcore dungeon run schedule. We were re-clearing dungeons someone had already cleared once, but it wasn't easy. There were still plenty of monsters, and we had to overcome terrain issues and search for the Boss Zone on our own. If our route differed from the one the first party took, it was almost as difficult as clearing a new dungeon, just without the boss.

As fatigue mounted, injuries inevitably followed. Heejong suffered a leg fracture, and Yoonji collapsed from mana exhaustion and was now resting. As for Bora, who wasn't even a pro yet, she was practically falling apart from the strain. During transit, she would sometimes stare out the window with dead eyes, then force a smile and act cheerful when she caught my gaze. Her forced cheerfulness felt cruel.

There were now seven hours left until the Labyrinth Dungeon's full manifestation. While everyone else was passed out in the car, I went outside alone. I told the driver I was going to do some solo hunting and to head for a safe location immediately if I didn't return in four hours.

'…Three places left. I hope it's in one of them.'

Gulping down a recovery potion, I logged into a popular player community forum and posted a party recruitment message for the Gyeongbuk region. Of course, in this situation, wanting to run a dungeon was practically the same as looking for someone to die with.

—You should just run away instead of being stubborn.

—You think the people still here are just looking for a big score? They're doing it out of a sense of crisis.

—Spend the remaining time with your family.

Even on the community forums, which were usually full of jokes, the atmosphere was solemn, as if everyone was facing the end of the world. How many people were even left in the field? At this point, even certified hunters were giving up and returning to safe zones. In the worst-case scenario, I had to be prepared to go in alone.

Just as I was walking down the road, half-resigned, the notification for a new message chimed. I quickly pulled my smartphone from my pocket.

—wya?

I received a message consisting of just three letters.

"…Hmm."

Getting such a terse reply from a stranger felt odd. I wondered if it was a prank, but I patiently typed back a response.

—Yusin: I'm at Handong Intersection in Andong, Gyeongbuk. You saw the gate location, right?

—k.

—Yusin: So you're coming?

—yep.

A sigh escaped me automatically. I didn't have much faith in this person, but it was either them or go in alone. I started walking slowly toward the destination I'd mentioned. As night fell, the city's atmosphere went beyond empty to downright eerie. There were traces of recent human habitation everywhere, but now, no one was left. The apartments and shops were all vacant. Through the shattered window of a convenience store, I could see items scattered about chaotically. A ghost town, abandoned by all. A leaflet fluttered in the night wind. Most cities in Korea probably felt like this right now.

I walked down the carless road, lost in uncharacteristically sentimental thoughts. And then I saw her. A beautiful woman, leaning against a bench under a flickering streetlight, fast asleep.

He fell silent.

It was a strange sight. In a city so empty it felt like loneliness was seeping into my bones, the woman slept with her eyes calmly closed, as if nothing was wrong. I don't know why, but I found myself just staring, captivated. Like someone in an art museum, mesmerized by a masterpiece, I stood there motionless.

Then, the woman slowly opened her eyes. Her hazel irises moved and fixed on me.

"…What are you doing here…?"

Her voice brought me back to reality. It sounded familiar, and then it hit me. I knew her.

"…Hong Yeon?"

She was none other than the junior I had fought tooth and nail against in the quarterfinals.

We were momentarily speechless. Then, we both looked down at our smartphones at the same time.

—Kim Yusin: Hey. You here?

A notification chimed on her smartphone. With an awkward motion, she tapped her screen twice.

—Hong Yeon: ya.

"It was you?!" I couldn't help but raise my voice. "I was wondering who it was. Seriously. Can't you stop using those lazy abbreviations?"

"…That's up to me," she replied, her expression sullen.

"Don't your friends ever tell you you're rude when you chat with them?"

She crossed her arms with a look that said, 'Why does that matter?' And she was right, what did it matter now? I let out a deep sigh. "Were you hunting in Gyeongbuk too?"

"I started in Gangwon on the first day and made my way down here."

"What about your other teammates?"

"They were all exhausted and dropped out, so I came alone."

"Same here."

It was the first time she and I had found common ground. As Yeon slowly rose from the bench, her silver armor clinked.

"We don't have much time. Let's go."

"Right."

Meeting her here was unexpected. I was supposed to remain her 'wall'… but well, the Association President never said not to fight alongside her, so it should be fine. As she said, we were out of time. Right now, I'd take help from anyone.

The destination was a ten-minute walk from here. For those ten minutes, we didn't exchange a single word. Feeling awkward, I kept glancing at her.

'It's a relief she's not suddenly challenging me to a fight.'

Was this how Yeon always was? She was endlessly calm and quiet. It seemed the internal change the Association President had mentioned had actually happened. Since it would be weird to just stay silent as if in a contest, I decided to bring up the mission first.

"Any questions about the dungeon?" I had set the location of the dungeon we would be tackling in the party recruitment post. "I'm taking you to a dungeon that's already been re-verified. Don't you need an explanation?"

"I have my suspicions," Yeon said, finally speaking. "It's a dungeon that received 're-verification' with suspicious speed, right?"

Smart, as expected. It seemed no further explanation was needed.

Just six hours remained until the Labyrinth Dungeon's full manifestation.

* * *

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