Episode 155

1.

[Event]

▶ Type: Catastrophe

▶ Grade: Legendary

▶ Reward: Distributed based on contribution

▷ This Catastrophe event was triggered during the fusion process of the Dungeon Break. You must defeat the great evil and eliminate the root cause that is accelerating the Dungeon Break.

▷ A Catastrophe Gate will appear 24 hours after this event notice. 48 hours after its appearance, the Catastrophe Dungeon Break will begin.

▷ This Catastrophe Dungeon Break will replace the special mission and will end upon the defeat of the Catastrophe Monster.

For the players, the event notice was like rain after a long drought.

—Finally!

—Time to make some bank, let's go!

—Wow, rewards scaled by contribution. I can already hear the top rankers getting even richer.

No one was expecting to sweep up points on the same overwhelming scale as Fly's faction.

What players needed right now was simply a more efficient and convenient way to farm them.

Any associated risk didn't even register.

They were always exposed to danger anyway. In the real world, where they could get help from other players, they were confident that when it came to a so-called "catastrophe," they could just keep themselves safe and get a piece of the rewards at the end.

—I hope they at least spawn some 3-star dungeon monsters so we can really rake it in.

—I'm gonna try to save up at least 300 points this time.

—I need to move on to the next dungeon, but my damage is lacking. Gotta use an event like this to boost my stats.

Of course, all of this was based on the difficulty of the Dungeon Break monsters they were currently facing.

This was based on the floors where the majority of players were active: 1-star to 2-star dungeons, levels 10 to 20.

As long as they partied up and didn't blindly wander into deserted areas, the monsters weren't that dangerous.

So they figured monsters from roughly 4 to 5-star dungeons would show up.

Even that alone would definitely qualify as a catastrophe.

Monsters in the level 40–50 range, on top of boss monsters with added penalties—to take those down, players of corresponding levels would have to gather in one place.

Even so, there was one reason players were convinced it wouldn't be a huge problem.

—We have the home-field advantage.

—We've got Fly, don't we?

They waited with confidence.

—Hurry up and open.

For the catastrophe.

For the catastrophe to arrive.

* * *

The 24 hours after the event notice were the very definition of the calm before the storm.

Excitement, anticipation, tension.

Most players were delighted at the chance to break free from their repetitive, boring daily grind, but a portion of them looked at the situation with a cool head.

Among them were Buja and the major guilds.

"A Legendary-grade event. Type: Catastrophe. Why the hell are they happy about this? Are they brain-dead?"

At Buja's harsh words, even Seora nodded, as if she agreed with the sentiment, if not the tone.

He wasn't really criticizing them.

It was understandable.

Everyone had different values and different ways of looking at the Dungeon Break. Even Buja himself was operating from a step back, moving purely for his own gain as long as monsters weren't about to crush his own home.

He was just tense, too.

"They gave us a 4-star for a special mission. If this is a catastrophe, what star-level dungeon is supposed to be blowing up?"

The only reason he had been relaxed until now, just like the other players, was because he was sure there was still plenty of time.

He didn't even need to dig up data to conclude that even if Fly, currently level 70 in the U.S., came over with only his elite guild members, they could still hold back up to 7-star monsters.

But what if it turned out to be 8-star?

It was hard to imagine the difficulty spiking that much, but that was exactly how heavy the word "catastrophe" felt.

Of course, no matter what sacrifices it took, they would stop it.

For humanity, Earth was a home they could never retreat from, the place where their families lived.

Giving up that place would mean that dungeons were no longer a land of opportunity for players, but had become the strongholds of invaders.

The initiative would shift from players to monsters.

Hunting would no longer be about leveling up, getting stronger, and satisfying personal desires, but about survival—a war for the preservation of humanity.

The difference was staggering.

That was why even someone like Buja, for once, had his hands clasped in prayer.

"Please don't let it open in Korea."

He wasn't asking for much.

Just one wish.

"Even if it opens nearby, fine, just don't let it open in this tiny strip of land that doesn't even make up one percent of Earth's surface. That would be ridiculous. Let it open somewhere like the U.S., China, or India. The farther the better."

His modest prayer was extremely selfish.

Even so, Seora nodded again.

It couldn't be helped.

After all, if it wasn't him, it had to be someone else.

Even without dungeon gates, humanity had been going through that same process for thousands of years.

When a war breaks out, having it on your own soil versus in a neighboring country where you go to help is a world of difference.

Time ticked by in the anxious atmosphere.

Twenty-four hours.

It wasn't a long time, and it passed quickly.

[The Catastrophe is approaching.]

[A Catastrophe Gate has opened somewhere.]

[The seal on the Catastrophe Gate will be lifted in 48 hours. You can stop the Catastrophe early by defeating the Guardian Monster that protects the gate.]

The fated moment had arrived.

He hurriedly looked up at the sky.

Up until now, whenever an event took place, light had poured down from the sky at the location.

But no matter where he looked, there was no such light.

"Whew."

A sigh of relief escaped him.

At the very least, it meant it hadn't opened anywhere within his field of view.

At the same time, the Jeong Cheol Guild headquarters became a hive of activity.

They scrambled to gather information.

The entire world was focused on this moment, not just the community forums.

Thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes.

Every second felt like a time-attack countdown.

Countless bits of information were flying around, but no one reported finding it.

Five minutes. Ten minutes.

They were gathering everything, from international news to information coming in through the underworld, but it was the same story.

This wasn't just a problem for the Jeong Cheol Guild.

—What the hell? Where is it?

—No light?

—They say there isn't any?

Only then did players—people—realize.

—We're supposed to find it? Ourselves?

The kindness that had been extended to players during the tutorial no longer existed.

They were lost in a maze.

While confusion reigned, the number that had reset to a 48-hour countdown was slowly ticking down.

* * *

Even after twelve hours had passed, there was no real new information.

—Is someone hiding it so they can hog it all for themselves?

—Could be.

—I mean, it's not like that would be wrong.

—It's a global event, everyone should get to participate.

—That's for the country where the Catastrophe Gate spawned to decide.

Naturally, countless suspicions were raised, and the community spent its time arguing.

Even so, despite how hot a topic this was, the fact that not a single leak had come out from anywhere was lending credibility to the opinion that they really hadn't found it yet.

Whatever the case, the important thing was that this was a problem given to everyone, to every country.

An event gate whose location was unknown.

Roughly thirty-six hours left until it opened, and for all they knew, it could be inside their own borders.

If the Dungeon Break began, no one knew what kind of sacrifice and damage would follow.

They threw everything they had into the search.

Urban areas, mountains, wastelands, even the sea.

Each country agreed to share information with the others if they discovered it, and they ramped up their efforts to locate the event gate.

It wasn't easy.

It was as if the system had decided from the start to make them feel how difficult this event would be. Even as the 24-hour mark approached, there was still no word of any suspicious gate being found.

Up to that point, people still thought, 'Well, that can happen.'

Buja was the same.

Even if an entire nation went out to search, there was no real way to tell whether a gate was an event gate or not.

On top of that, neglected Dungeon Break zones had been popping up here and there for over two months now, so if the gate was in one of those areas, it would naturally take even longer to find.

In the end, were they just going to have to wait for it to open?

Either way, with it almost certain that it wasn't in Seoul, Buja was breathing a sigh of relief when his phone rang.

"Huh?"

A familiar name.

"Hello?"

"Buja, have you been well?"

Slightly accented Korean came through the speaker.

Buja checked the saved name again, then answered brightly.

"My friend!"

Sergei DiCapro, the Oil Prince, had called for the first time in a while.

'What could it be about?'

Pushing his curiosity aside, Buja poured as much genuine delight into his voice as he could.

He was using the Earrings of the World Tree, which he had received from Sergei, so well that it felt like they were resonating happily at the sound of his friend's voice.

For earrings that valuable—valuable enough that he would gladly serve someone as his master for life if they asked—this level of joy was the least he could offer the friend who had given them to him as a casual gift.

And it wasn't an act.

Buja was sincerely happy to hear from him.

"It really has been a long time. Come visit so we can at least grab a meal. I'll give you a gift, too, and show you around a Legendary dungeon."

How could he not treat someone sincerely when that person had shown him such kindness without asking for anything in return?

At his warm words, a hearty laugh echoed from the other end of the line.

"Haha, I'll look forward to it. More than that, I called to share some news with you, Buja. Have you heard anything about the location of the Catastrophe Gate?"

What came next was nothing to laugh about.

Buja answered immediately.

"No."

Not just him; the entire world was in the dark.

In that situation, what else could Sergei, calling after months of silence, possibly have to say?

The answer was obvious.

"That's a relief. I'm glad I can be of help. There is a word that rankers are secretly gathering in western China. It will take a little time to confirm fully, but we consider it over ninety percent accurate."

"I knew it…"

'Where on earth did he get information like this?'

The Jeong Cheol Guild's information network was supposed to be pretty tight, but clearly it was nothing compared to those who pulled the strings of global wealth.

"Thank you. Seriously, when you come to Korea, I'll take you to all the best restaurants and give you two free runs in a Legendary dungeon."

He didn't bother asking why Sergei was telling him this.

Pointless questions like that were a waste of time.

"I'm rooting for you. I'm enjoying the show."

Those who had everything always had forms of amusement others couldn't understand.

What mattered was using the information he had just received.

Seora, who had been listening beside him, was already moving.

At the same time, Buja contacted Fly.

'This is the perfect time to earn some goodwill.'

Unfortunately, the U.S. was already on the move as well.

This was top-secret intel known only to a tiny handful.

There was no need to wonder why the information wasn't spreading.

"Effective immediately, China has completely shut down entry into the country."

And of course, even after they got the intel, there was nothing they could actually do.

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