Crash — the sound of waves broke through, and the sharp, salty smell of the ocean reached him.
Unlike the lower-grade Dungeons, which either clumsily and strangely mimicked the earth or consisted of a single featureless void, extreme-danger Dungeons reproduced the natural world with perfect fidelity.
That was why those who witnessed an extreme-danger Dungeon for the first time often found themselves doubting whether it was really a Dungeon at all — and this one was imitating a beautiful beach.
A gentle breeze grazing through the hair. A mild temperature, neither cold nor warm. Fine sand beneath the feet, and a clear, transparent sea. A cloudless blue sky, and blinding sunlight beyond the horizon.
It was as though an entire seaside resort had been lifted wholesale and dropped here.
But the owner of this beautiful resort was not human — it was monsters.
Dojun took in the wide stretch of sandy shore, the blue-green sea, and the vast, open sky in turn, then stepped forward.
“Stay alert.”
Just as Hanul had announced in front of the reporters, Seonmyeong had entered the Dungeon to rescue the Songhwa Guild’s attack team. The Dungeon clear itself was therefore planned to take place after they located the Songhwa hunters.
The problem was that extreme-danger Dungeons were vast in scale, and searching one through conventional means would consume an enormous amount of time — but fortunately, Dojun was here, and Dojun could wield the wind however he pleased.
Whoooosh.
A gust of wind rose from beneath Dojun’s feet, wrapped once around his body, and then spread wide in every direction.
Dojun traced the information carried back to him on the wind with careful precision — and found a cluster of people not too far away.
“Found them. We’re moving.”
Whoosh.
The wind went ahead and charted the path, and the team members began moving, following its lead.
The reason Dojun, not Hanul, was leading the team inside the Dungeon was simple.
That was the privilege of the overall team leader.
Inside a Dungeon, even if Guild Leader Hanyeong himself showed up in Hanul’s place, everyone was required to follow Dojun’s direction.
Which was why Hanul — not particularly pleased about it — was walking quietly beside Dojun, following his lead.
As they moved, Dojun shared what he’d gathered with the team.
“No aerial-type monsters.”
Given the nature of wind, he hadn’t been able to check beneath the sand or inside the water — but knowing there were no flying monsters alone cut what they needed to watch for in half.
“They don’t seem to be in the middle of a fight. Probably resting.”
No other life forms were detectable nearby, and the group of people showed little movement.
“No one’s separated from the group either — all five are together, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Dojun filtered out only what he could confirm for certain, then felt a touch against the wind and smiled faintly. Partly because he hadn’t tried to hide it — but a Black Rank hunter’s instincts were sharp, without question.
“Hunter Lim Seonhwa has noticed my wind.”
He sent a gust back around her in response, and a flurry of movement erupted from the Songhwa Guild’s side.
“Already?”
“My ability is well known. And she’d know that since a rescue request was sent, Seonmyeong wouldn’t just sit on its hands.”
At Dojun’s answer, the team members’ faces brightened.
They’d been bracing for the possibility of many injuries — or perhaps even deaths — so hearing that everyone was alive and that they’d be reuniting shortly was a visible relief.
They were moving along, Dojun watching for any monsters that might spring from behind the group, when he turned at Hanul’s question.
“Are you close with Hunter Lim Seonhwa?”
This would have been written in the records Hanul left behind.
Hanul, who would have read through all the information on both Seonmyeong’s own team members and the Songhwa Guild’s attack team inside the Dungeon, pressed for an answer with a look.
“We don’t meet privately, but there are occasions when we cross paths professionally.”
“It sounds like you like her.”
Dojun agreed readily.
“She’s diligent. She works hard.”
Lim Seonhwa was a Black Rank hunter respected even within Songhwa. She’d been active as a hunter since Dojun was still in elementary school.
Working with her had never caused any serious issues either, so saying he liked her well enough was fair.
Dojun held Hanul’s gaze — his eyes even lighter in the sunlight — and added,
“Like you.”
But instead of performing a flustered expression, Hanul glanced pointedly at their surroundings.
“You blocked the sound again.”
He’d figured he’d notice.
Dojun had used part of the wind already sweeping through the Dungeon to keep their conversation from leaking out, just as he’d done outside. He answered without missing a beat.
“Looking like a couple who gets along well isn’t a bad thing — but becoming a spectacle is.”
This was one of the few traits Dojun and Hanul genuinely had in common.
“So — what else are you curious about?”
“Are you really the jealous, possessive type?”
It was what the team members had been saying back at the tent. Of all people, to be asked this by Hanul.
This is a little unfair.
Between the two of them, the one with the stronger streak of possessiveness was Hanul, no question.
But denying it too strongly would prick at his conscience.
“I have a clear sense of who and what belongs within my circle, and I put a lot of thought into the people inside it — but depending on how you look at it, I suppose that could come across as obsession or possessiveness.”
“Who’s inside that circle?”
Was it the sunlight? With every step, the color of Hanul’s eyes seemed to shift.
Dojun watched those eyes flicker between light and dark and turned the question back on him.
“I’m guessing you don’t actually want the obvious answer of ‘you’re in it’ — so what is it you’re really asking?”
“Maybe I do want that answer.”
It was the kind of conversation couples might have at a seaside resort.
Just not quite suited to Hanul’s current mood.
Still, Dojun played along with him the way he had for the past few days.
“You’re first.”
“More than family?”
“In certain respects.”
Dojun wasn’t like Hanul — he couldn’t unconditionally place a lover above family.
And saying something he didn’t mean wouldn’t be believed anyway.
“I know it sounds like something anyone could say. But we’ll be together going forward, so you can see for yourself.”
Dojun smiled at Hanul, who was grinning back at him, and tilted his head toward the front.
One of the team members walking at the head of the group had spotted someone from the Songhwa Guild and was waving broadly.
Dojun took in their visible condition with a quick sweep, then caught Hunter Lim Seonhwa looking back at him, drawn by the wind, and gave her a light nod in greeting.
Just as he’d expected — Hunter Lim Seonhwa was unharmed, and her team members also appeared to be alive.
Dojun turned to Hanul beside him to confirm.
“Still think it’s better not to disclose that you’ve lost your memories?”
Those people had been inside the Dungeon for over a week — there was no way they knew Hanul had lost his memories.
And before entering the Dungeon, Hanul had asked the team members to keep that fact secret until the clear was complete.
“Yes. They’ve clearly been through a lot already — I don’t want to give them something else to worry about.”
Knowing that the person who came to rescue them wasn’t in perfect condition might make them uneasy.
Dojun nodded at the words that followed.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
He had a feeling there were other motives at play — but he’d decided to wait and watch for now.
What was needed for the Dungeon clear wasn’t Hanul’s memories — it was his ability. And Hanul had already familiarized himself thoroughly with the Songhwa Guild’s attack team information.
Hunter Lim Seonhwa finished exchanging greetings with the team members and made her way over to the two of them. Dojun let the sound-blocking wind dissolve.
“When I sent the rescue request outside, I figured Seonmyeong would come. More specifically, I thought Hunter Seon Hanul would come. There’s a lot of water here, after all.”
Lim Seonhwa gestured toward the sea and gave Hanul a wink.
Hanul stepped forward with a warm, easy smile.
“We keep running into each other inside Dungeons.”
He was referencing a meeting from a month ago that he no longer remembered — and yet Hanul showed no trace of awkwardness.
That ease was partly owed to the records he’d left himself, but in truth, he’d been acquainted with Lim Seonhwa even back when he was twenty-one.
Times like this make me wish my Awakening hadn’t come so late.
Hanul had been a veteran hunter even then, and he’d built up connections with many people because of it — and the fact that Dojun wasn’t among them sat faintly unpleasant.
He knew it was unavoidable — and yet feeling this way regardless of that… so he really wasn’t someone who was short on jealousy.
Dojun, turning the wind curling around his hand absently between his fingers, walked over to the two of them.
“I’m relieved Seonmyeong came. You’ll get us out quickly, right?”
“There are injured among you, so — we’ll do our best.”
“Right now I feel like I’d do anything if you’d just get us out.”
Lim Seonhwa laughed brightly and drew Dojun, who had just approached, into the conversation.
“Dojun, what do you think? Can we get out quickly?”
Dojun curved his lips into what he hoped looked natural.
“Of course, senior. With three Blacks, we should be out of here in no time.”
Being put out was one thing — and letting your emotions run away with you inside a Dungeon was about the most foolish thing there was.
